A Church Basement, and You Are Muslim

The meeting is in a church basement and you are Muslim. The building is rented. You are welcome regardless of religion, and you need not join a prayer.

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Key takeaway

The meeting is in a church basement and you are Muslim. The building is a rented room. You are welcome regardless of religion. You need not join a prayer. If the building is too much tonight, a phone or online meeting is real, and the video can be off.

Last updated: 2026-10-06

The sign on the lawn is a church. The meeting is down a half-flight, under the pipes, on folding chairs. You are Muslim. The crosses are already doing their work on your nerves before anyone says hello. You came because you want to stop drinking. The building is asking a second question you did not put on the list.

You can still walk down, and you can still turn around on the sidewalk. Either choice can be a sober one.

The room is rented

The building is a rented room. Churches, offices, treatment centers, community centers, clubhouses: in-person meetings borrow space. The program is what happens in the chairs for that hour. There is a plain page for when the meeting is in a church. Read it if the sign itself is the scare. You are not joining the congregation by sitting under it.

You are welcome regardless of religion. The only requirement for membership is a desire to stop drinking. You do not have to pay. You do not have to explain your faith to the person pouring coffee, or to the chair, or to the wall. Identifying yourself is not mandatory. You can sit and listen.

You need not join a prayer. Some meetings open with silence, the Serenity Prayer, or both. Many close with silence and a prayer, or with other A.A. text. You can stay quiet. Silence is allowed. If people stand and reach for hands, your hands can stay in your lap. Tradition Ten says A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. A church basement does not give the group a right to instruct you in religion, and it does not give you a duty to pretend the symbols are nothing. You can dislike the walls and still use the hour. You can also decide the walls win tonight.

If the building is too much

If the basement itself is too much, do not force the stairs. A phone meeting or an online meeting is a real meeting. Some online meetings keep everyone's video off. You can turn your own camera off even when other people leave theirs on. Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. aa.org does not contain a meeting finder. Confirm the time. Listings on this site are not verified.

You might worry that leaving makes you difficult. The difficult thing is asking a person to swallow a building in order to hear a message about drinking. Another group may meet in a community room, an office, or nowhere you have to enter at all. The desire to stop travels with you. It is not stored in that basement.

If someone in the room is unkind about your faith, you can leave in the middle of a share. You do not have to educate them on the way out. If you are in danger, call 911. Rudeness and danger are different sizes, and you are allowed to exit for either one.

Tonight

If you can sit in the rented room, sit, listen, and stay quiet through any prayer. If the building is too much, join by phone or online and keep the video off. You do not have to become less Muslim to want to stop drinking. You do not have to announce why you chose the chair or the sidewalk.

If you need a treatment referral, call (800) 653-9376. The call is free to you. Treatment providers pay for the referral. If the night is a crisis, call or text 988. If you are in danger, call 911.

Additional Resources

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Common Questions

Does a church basement mean I joined that church?

No. The building is a rented room. Meetings use churches, offices, community centers, and other borrowed spaces. The program is the meeting, not the sign on the lawn. You can sit in the basement for an hour without joining that congregation. Welcome does not depend on religion. There are no dues that sign you up for the church. When the hour ends, you can leave with the same faith you walked in with.

Do I have to pray because the room is a church?

No. You need not join a prayer. Some meetings use silence, the Serenity Prayer, or both, and many close with silence and a prayer or other A.A. text. Silence is allowed. You can keep your eyes where you want them and your mouth closed. The symbols on the wall do not draft you. The chair follows the group's format. Your conscience stays yours for the whole hour.

What if the crosses and the basement are too much tonight?

Leave, or do not go in. A phone meeting or an online meeting is a real meeting. Some online meetings already keep video off, and you can turn your own camera off. You are not failing a desire to stop drinking by refusing a building. Meetings are in person, online, or by telephone. Confirm the listing before you count on a time. The search on this site is not verified.

Am I welcome if I am Muslim?

Yes. Anyone with a desire to stop drinking is welcome, regardless of religion. You do not have to explain Islam, a prayer schedule, or why a church feels like the wrong roof. Identifying yourself is not mandatory. You can listen. If someone speaks as if the whole room shares one faith, you can let the sentence pass. Tradition Ten says A.A. has no opinion on outside issues. Their assumption is not a membership rule.

Can I stay in the chair and still skip the closing prayer?

Yes. Stay seated. Keep quiet. You can be present for the shares and absent from the spoken prayer. People may stand and reach for hands. You can keep your hands in your lap. Afterward, talk in the parking lot is optional. You can go up the stairs and out while they are still saying the last words. Belonging to the hour does not require the last minute of speech.