Ahmed, who is originally from Cairo, Egypt, adds, "This area is one of the most receptive places to Islam in the United States."

Members of the new center say they hope that they will be able to have good relations with their neighbors.

Ahmed, noting that there is a Jewish synagogue down the street, says he hopes that in the future, the two places of worship will be able to establish a cordial relationship.

"We don't have a history of bad relations around here between Muslims and Jews," Ahmed said. "Having inter-faith dialogue is important."

Muslims at the Islamic Center say they are also paying close attention to the peace process in the Middle East, in hope of arranging speeches on the process at the center.

Ahmed says that he and other members in the local Muslim community hope peace will come to the Middle East, but they are not optimistic about the current negotiations.

"Peace will only come when everyone wants it to," he says.

Although the center will make an effort to come to grips with some international issues, Said, who is originally from Israel, says that area Muslims prefer to focus their attention on local problems. "We don't like to bring the conflict from there to here," Said said.

The Cambridge Islamic Community is presently celebrating Ramadan, the ninth month of the Muslim calendar. During Ramadan, which began last Wednesday, Muslims commemorate the revelation of the Koran to Mohammed by abstaining from food, drink and sexual activity from sunrise to sunset.

Ahmed says he hopes that the hundreds of Muslim students at Harvard and other area colleges will come to the center to celebrate Ramadan and other future events.

"We hope that it will be a central place for Muslims at each school to come and pray," he says.