Architectural Development of Contemporary Mosques in Britain - Essay Example

Assignment Proposals for Dissertation ID Number: Lecturer: How can we adapt the design & structure of a British mosque in order for it to comply with the architectural development of the modern world (Britain) Summary / Abstract The paper is the study of the relationship between the structure, form and cultural identity in the architecture of contemporary mosques and the traditional mosques in Britain and the discussion of the issues of the change in architectural designs of mosques. It is not about the particularities of the mosques but about where and in what form do these occur in the British Muslim imagination. (1) Historically, as said by Tschumi, "the role of the architect is to project in the ground, the images of social institutions, translating the economic or political structure of society into buildings or groups of buildings." (2) But Minaret and/or dome is/are claimed to be divine properties of mosques and any rejection of them is seen as an opposition to Islam. Edwards Said in his 'Orientalism' says clearly that such symbols are truly needed as, "we all need some foundation on which to stand." (3) In many of the parts of Britain it has been seen that a different kind of religious structures of mosques are formed. Thus, excluding minarets and domes. The public face of mosques need greater attention according to traditionalists. They question that how such buildings of ever changing context in Britain can be associated with Islamic world. It should also be considered that 40-50 years ago the immigrants were quite happy to pray in a make shift house in a terrace house. And as the worship place seemed too small they also didn't mind in buying and converting the schools, bigger houses and warehouses into buildings of worship. This clearly indicates that the only important thing in Islam is to offer prayers to Allah without any external support needed as minarets and domes. Another contemporary leading mosque builder, Al- Sumaria is one of the new generations of Muslims who has much radical approach and states that, "There are four features you must have, first of all you must have a dome you must have a minaret, you must have a Mehrab (the equivalent to an alter) you must have a babul Sulum what we call a frontal entrance. Those 4 features are of paramount importance, without it really any place can be a mosque." (4) This is the basic generational issue where most of the elders do not accept the modern architecture, confiding into commission of building, still not understanding what good architecture is. The younger generation finds the traditional style mosques quite old fashioned and want something more exciting while containing the basic essence that is true worship. According to Al-Sumaria the traditional British Mosques are not doing what people who want the building to respond should. Today the purpose built buildings are a bit more established as people want to raise some money from these to procure the buildings and moving from the adhock alteration of a building. But is it fundamental. The question is serious only if the essential essence of Mosques will be forgotten i.e. converting a building only to make it useful for praying, for Muslim worship. Aim, Objectives and Hypothesis The central aim of the paper is to present the ideal structure and architecture of Mosques in Britain and if any of the modern contemporary changes are affecting the basic element of faith of Islam. The idea of the mosque ever since is that it is place of worship serving as a sacred and clean space for prayer and also providing counselling, education and other services associated with the benefit of a community. They only need is to provide a space for all these services without any direct relation with minarets and domes. K. Alavi highlights that, historically the mosque is an institution with four major roles: a place of worship, a centre of education, a judicial court and a centre for political and administrative decision making. (5) The aim of mosques in Britain without any significance of the building is being a prayer space contributing to the social needs of local communities including counselling and family support, proving supplementary education and arranging for youth diversionary projects and holiday programmes. A.L. Tibawi also states that, "the association of mosque with education remains one of its main characteristics throughout its history." (6) He further says that mosque is a place of learning. All early mosques had an educational purpose attached to them and play a great role in spreading education to all. And the today's purpose built mosques provide with various community facilities along with other great range of services including job careers and business development support, Islam awareness events, community cohesion/heritage, project developments etc. At various places in Britain it has been seen that architecture of new mosques without architecture is randomly increasing. It would be great if people understand the main strength of Islam without giving much importance to the buildings and understand the design process. The tradionality is what refers to the peoples' experience of traditional mosques and not the changing buildings or exclusion of minarets or domes. Al-Sumaria says that, "if one looks at a British contemporary mosques there is no form of identity that he can say it belongs as a British mosque, it could be any where in the world." And Ali Mangherar is much critical of British muslims' relationship to architecture. He says that, "muslim communities really need to start to embrace change. I think architecture is a great way to demonstrate how for example in this country people are looking forward". (7) But the more vibrant muslim community have a clear idea that a mosque has to look like a traditional mosque and any building without the symbolic elements of mosque design would not be appropriate. This means that the community who comes to use the building have a passionate subscription to all the architectural ideas used in mosques. And Al Mangherar again states at such situation that, "it depends of the quality of architecture again, so if the building reaches out engaging with people who are not muslim, if it provides spaces for women, if the architecture is interesting and forward looking, it addresses the needs of the kids that are looking forward to the internet generation and beyond, I think its an asset, and that people should not be shy of it. We should be shy of making buildings pastiche and show no quality and on a low budget and just trying to get away with this shell space, which is giving as much pray space as possible. No we should be moving away from that, we should be providing buildings which are contextual and emerge out of this British context out of European context as a sense and are forward looking." So, there is a need to be lenient and open towards architectural designs retaining the religious beliefs of the community as well as making the buildings interesting. Problem Definition The main problem in structuring British mosques in compliance with architectural development in modern times is that- What will be the final solution to the traditional and the young architectural thinking relayed to building of mosques in Britain The problem is that the old traditionalists do not confide to the mosque developments without adhering to the traditional symbols as domes and minarets. Where as the young generation wants something more developed and interesting as this may not harm the religious feeling of a true believer. Nabahat Avcioglu argues that, "the minaret, together with the dome, has become a structural metonym of Muslim identity that can no longer be read in any other context than the one it predetermines, even though there exist in the Muslim countries both old and new mosques without minarets and domes." (8) But ever since 1998 the attempts have been made to reclaim the buildings as mosques as it is said that dome and minarets carry the key religious motifs. And it is declared by Ziaulahq Zia, the chairman of the Islamic Centre of Ocean County in U.S. that "we will have a minaret" and "we will have a dome". (9) The problem gets more crucial when the facts are stated that neither the Koran nor Traditions - the sayings of the Prophet- dictates a shape for a mosque or its structures. Moreover, now the minarets are also no more used to call for prayers and are actually functioning as chimneys. As a solution to the problem, the Islamic art historian Jonathan Bloom, after studying deeply about the minarets says unequivocally, "the minaret was invented, not early in the first century of Islam, but at the end of its second century, and that in the beginning it had little if anything to do with the call to prayer" (10) Key Questions It becomes very important to tackle with the opposite and rigid thinking concerning the building of mosques in Britain. Just imagine, what will happen to the older as well new buildings already build without minarets and domes Will it not shake the main idea behind any religious institution, the prayers offered to Allah Isn't it uneasy gesture of negotiating Muslim identity within a poor repertoire of forms Are the traditional mosques are doing what people want the buildings to do This is definitely a serious issue as today the communities want the buildings to raise funds to procure them as not thought before. As previously the schools, warehouses and other bigger building were taken over to conduct the prayers and to increase the pray space. Is it fundamental to do so with the buildings not typically formed and structured for Islamic prayers Is there any existential challenge if minarets, domes and other Islamic symbols are lacking in mosques Jencks view is pertinent here as he says, "the politics of the self-conscious tradition [of architecture], as one could guess, are conservative, elitist, centralist and pragmatic with an occasional element of mystical fundamentalism thrown in to catalyse, or brutalise the masses" (11) But at the same time Edward Said is of the view that every faith and religion wants some kind of support as any foundation to live without any fear or threat. He states that, "we all need some foundation on which to stand; the question is how extreme and unchangeable is our formulation of what this foundation is." (12) Limitations and Key Assumptions My research will have to face some of the limitations. It is due to too may different thoughts as well as ideas and conceptions related to the structure and formulation of mosques. Although it is difficult to have face to face interviews with the superiors and heads in mosques yet I will try to manage to get a few thoughts of various people in various fields. Moreover nobody knows who led the rules regarding the building of minarets and domes in mosques as there is no evidence in Korans and any of the Muslim religious books. It's just the tradition being followed from history which is facing various changes in present times objected by the old traditional communities. And making a firm quote can be risky and hurting for Muslim religious sentiments which is not worth. So, the research will be based on achievable data and views of various modern architects and their books. Various aspects of the problem will be given due adherence. Identification of Sources and Research Methodology The sources will be reliable and dealing with both the aspects involving the traditional view point as well as the contemporary modern architecture. These may have the views of old as well as young thinking about the structure of mosques and the idea behind the traditional symbols in these buildings. Firstly, I will make a rough draft of the problems arising from the contradiction of the issue at hand. And then search according to the major issues of concern that need to be highlighted and cleared. As the topic is related to Islamic religion the problems and the solutions will not be biased nor provoking. It will have a balanced approach and both sides of the coins will be presented at same platform. My research will include the interviews of various people to have the view about the present as well as the traditional architecture of mosques. This means high quality of dissertation with quality information. The research will include the opinions of the architects, various books, and religious book of Koran as well as interviews of general public. I will also use internet sources and collect all the reliable data to present my dissertation in the most professional way. Proposed Structure of Dissertation The structure of my dissertation will be formed on three major steps. Firstly, I will discuss the different opinions on traditional as well as modern structures of mosques in Britain. It will be discussed as how the old generation responds to the new mosques without minarets and domes and on the other hand what do the young people feel for the rigid rules of traditional buildings in Britain. The subject will be viewed from various angles for presenting the real picture. Next step will be the discussion of various problems arising due to difference in opinions. And the key questions coming forth due to such problems. And lastly, the evidences from various research methods proving both the aspects of architecture that is traditional as well as modern will be discussed. Action Plan: The main idea will take about a three week's time to be formulated. The planning of the structure of the project would take 3-4 days. The aims and objectives will take about 5-6 days to be formed. The hypothesis will take 2 week's time as it can be done only after the arrangement of interviews and reading various journals and other sources. Problems will then take another 3-4 days as these will be better understood after evaluating all the aspects. The solution part in this dissertation is much difficult task being religious. The only solution will be given after viewing all the view points of every aspect in form of reliable quotes. It will take about 2-3 weeks. Footnotes: (1) Stuart Hall, 'Questions of Cultural Identity', 1996. Lokko. 2000. Pg: 31 (2) Tschumi. B 1994:5. (3) Said. Edward. Orientalism.1994. pg:333. (4) Al- Sumaria. BBC Radio. The British Mosque. Indigo Jo. February 10, 2007. 11:20 PM. (5) Alavi. K. Role of the mosque in the life of the muslim community (1990) Dawah academy international Islamic university Islamabad . (6) Tibawi A.L., Islamic Education , Luzac and Company Ltd, 1972. (7) Mangherar. Ali. BBC Radio. The British Mosque. Indigo Jo. February 10, 2007. 11:20 PM. (8) Nebahat Avcioglu. Identity-as-Form: The Mosque in the West1. Columbia University Institute for Scholars in Paris, Cultural Analysis 6 (2007): 91-112 (9) Zia. Ziaulahq. Islamic Centre of Ocean County in U.S. Everline 2004. (10) Bloom. Jonathan. 1989, Pg: 7 (11) Jencks 1987, 46. (12) Said. Edward. Orientalism. 1994. Pg:333 Sources Jencks, Charles The Language Of Post-Modern Architecture (1977) New York: Rizzoli International Publications Inc. (1977) Reprint 1984. Stuart Hall, 'Questions of Cultural Identity', 1996. Lokko. 2000. November 6, 2008. Said. Edward. Orientalism.1994. November 6, 2008. Al- Sumaria. BBC Radio. The British Mosque. Indigo Jo. February 10, 2007. 11:20 PM. November 6, 2008. Alavi. K. Role of the mosque in the life of the muslim community (1990) Dawah academy international Islamic university Islamabad . November 6, 2008. Tibawi A.L., Islamic Education , Luzac and Company Ltd, 1972. November 6, 2008. Mangherar. Ali. BBC Radio. The British Mosque. Indigo Jo. February 10, 2007. 11:20 PM. November 6, 2008. Nebahat Avcioglu. Identity-as-Form: The Mosque in the West1. Columbia University Institute for Scholars in Paris, Cultural Analysis 6 (2007). November 6, 2008. Zia. Ziaulahq. Islamic Centre of Ocean County in U.S. Everline 2004. November 6, 2008. Bloom, Jonathan. 1989. Minaret: Symbol of Islam. Oxford Studies in Islamic Art, VII. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Jencks, Charles. 1987. Modern Movements in Architecture, first published in 1973, reprint of second edition. London: Penguin Books. Read More