The Atlantic

Mosques Want to Offer Sanctuary, but Will Anyone Accept?

Some undocumented immigrants say they wouldn’t feel safe at a mosque given the uptick in anti-Muslim violence.
Source: Carlos Barria / Reuters

On January 18, two days before the inauguration of Donald Trump, Clifton Mosque in Cincinnati announced its intention to become a sanctuary congregation. It would shield undocumented people from deportation and provide shelter to any refugee or immigrant in need, regardless of religious or ethnic background. The media hailed it as the first mosque to issue such a statement.

On February 7, the mosque quietly walked that statement back.

Instead of becoming a full-blown sanctuary congregation, Clifton Mosque would become a solidarity congregation. People would not be able to take up residence there, but

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