Muslims began meeting in the 1960s and 70s at the University of Rhode Island and surrounding smaller communities to pray and develop a community. In 1975, the group had grown sufficiently, and the planning for a permanent Islamic center began. Funded mostly through donations from the larger New England community, in November of 1976, 582 Cranston Street, Providence, formerly a funeral home, became Masjid Al-Karim. It is the first masjid established in Rhode Island. Renovations and additions soon followed to establish this two-story masjid that is now barely able to contain the expanding congregation.