The following design exploration and research was conducted as a part of a thesis completed during my Bachelor of Architecture program. A portion of the content that has been included expands upon the work discussed in the thesis and takes into consideration digital solutions that can be applied in a post-COVID context. I will be using this design problem as a premise for a UI / UX case study.
In a country founded on individual rights and freedoms, there are Muslims who feel alienated from practicing their religion, and the mosque is a venue that is both contributing and showcasing this through its various design limitations. This stems from the misalignments between the traditions and cultures these imported mosque styles have emerged from with that of America’s. The forms and typologies of mosques that have come into being since the earliest, being the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina, are all the results of how societal practices have intertwined themselves into religious ones. It is the inevitable influence of social order, hierarchies, cultural integrations, gender implications, and power structures, which have formulated themselves into the existing typologies. Nostalgia and a chain reaction of unquestioned importation of styles abroad has led to the implanting of these very same styles into the US. Neither the Qur’an nor the Hadith (Prophetic traditions) specify a form or layout for mosques. Any reference to a place of worship is in relation to function and proper procedure. Although there is no “correct” way to design or build a mosque, we must acknowledge that the functionality of these imported forms in America is struggling. The American Mosque is in need of more careful consideration of worshipper identity, building character and cultural context.
The conception of this thesis stems from my own experiences and the context in which I was raised as a practicing Muslim. In my experience as a Muslim woman of Bengali descent, I’ve certainly felt a dissonance between my set of traits and the experiences I’ve had in places of worship back home in NJ. In certain places, I felt unwelcome merely because of my gender; in others, I felt disconnected especially through language and cultural barriers because I was not of the ethnic group associated with the mosque.
As a result of this, I ask, how can we further explore the multitude of complexities of human traits particularly in a complex context such as America? How does the dissonance between these complexities and the American context lead to the formation of new and much needed constructs? From here, the essential question becomes, what can an American mosque be?
The need for the redesign of mosques as well as the addressing of pressing social issues has been long existing. The misinterpretations these mosques create for the Islamic faith’s true message and expression become manifest into practical and architectural problems in their designs and functioning. Although initiatives towards this still needs a lot of work, especially in regards to sensitive topics that most don’t feel comfortable venturing into, we cannot refuse to acknowledge any issue that is creating a rift in the ummah and in the communal nature of the mosque. If one institution can foster change, then the potential to expand to its effect worldwide becomes possible. The status quo of mosques must be challenged such that the communal atmosphere is revived through inclusivity. This thesis aims to serve as yet another catalyst for bringing about awareness and open discourse about these pressing issues and addressing them in a medium where the issue becomes apparent visually and most obvious.
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The role of women in relation to the mosque and its functioning varies greatly throughout the country. Some mosques do not even include a women’s space at all, indicating that there is a preference for women pray at home. However, the mosques that do include a space tend to have a great disproportion in size between the male and female sections, usually with the latter being much smaller. In these tiny spaces, you will find women crammed with children. The segregation of genders also makes it much more difficult for women to assert their presence and access resources such as the Imam, when there is no manner to do so. These dissatisfactory conditions bring into question the spatial and social implications ingrained in mosque design and culture.
In this portrait, the viewer is placed within the women’s section, behind the screens that block one’s visible field of view. The long stretch of men’s prayer rows is seen with the mihrab (niche) in the background emanating its presence. The issues highlighted here are visibility and accessibility, proportion of space, and services.
CHALLENGES
Visibility &
Accessibility
Proportion
of Space
Services
A particularly sensitive issue within mosques is that of the Muslim population that identifies as non-binary and LGBTQ+. A good portion of older generation Muslims see Islam and other expressions of gender as an impossible coexistence of traits for one to identify as. The assumption of gender as binary dominates most mosques and is what is accepted. However, there are mosques that are friendly to gender non-conforming persons, yet they are mostly under the radar for safety and protective reasons. Non-binary Muslims feel conflicted with their identity. The mosque environment with its imported styles and customs has been rigid and unquestioning of its structure and views (i.e. on gender).
This portrait can be viewed from two perspectives. One from plan (aerial) view, with the Imam leading the pray in the front (at the top in this case) and with the doorway in the back (at the bottom). The worshippers are in rows behind. The alternative lens to view this portrait in is as an elevation–where all the worshippers are stacked in their own ‘cubicles’ with the Imam at the front (bottom in this case) leading the prayer. The main points to highlight in this drawing are the value of anonymity (as indicated by the lack of apparent gendered figured; all bodies are just worshippers with the same purpose), accessibility and compartmentalization, as indicated by the grid-like structure.
CHALLENGES
Anonymity
Compartmentalization
Accessibility
Converts are another population that suffers from unfortunate exclusion. The mosque becomes the best resource for learning and practicing religion, especially for those who come from home environments that are hostile to those who practice the faith. The mosque becomes a safe haven and should provide itself as a means for an emotional and spiritual support structure. Due to the ethnocentric nature of mosques previously discussed, the programs and atmosphere of mosques present language barriers, unfamiliarity with other cultures, and easy miscommunication. Converts themselves may not even be recognized in the mosques unless wearing certain clothing that makes them more homogenized to the attending population. Programs to aid converts are given low priority in mosque programming. The lack of attendance of converts gives them a missed opportunity of gaining from a valuable environment of resources.
Depicted in this portrait is a convert in their safe haven (blue-green sphere) yet lost and confused on this new way of life they have adopted. There is hostility and antagonistic sentiments of the eyes which keep watch of them along with that of the family that no longer accepts them. The need for proper guidance, support and abundance of resources with this life-long process is vital for the convert’s well-being, mentally and physically.
CHALLENGES
Communication
Safety & Support
Resources
In a similar vein to converts, youth programming is lacking at mosques, which in turn dramatically affects the attendance of young Muslims at mosques. The lack of youth programming and secular activities leads to a lack in a community environment that these young Muslims can benefit from. By giving agency to youths, allowing them more opportunities to engage with the community and amongst themselves, the meaning of going to the mosque will become more than just an obligation at a house of worship. In addition, keeping in mind the youth in the U.S. have grown up in the Digital age while older mosque-goers have difficulty relating to this influence and culture (especially elders who have immigrated from abroad) creates particularly for this current age creates a large gap within the value systems of both groups.
This portrait highlights mainly the vast generation gap and values that the Muslim youth acquires in growing up in a Western context versus that of the older generation whose values greatly differ. The tree in the center is representative of the common universal values (nature , art, music, etc.) that all beings regardless of age, space and time have, are now, and will eternally appreciate. These universal values can allow for the bridging of this gap if properly incorporating into a shared space.
CHALLENGES
Adaptability of Space
Generation Gap
Engagement / Agency
The series of drawings on the following pages offer a different look at the aforementioned microsettings in relation to the four marginalized groups within the Muslim community (women, gender non-conforming persons, converts and the youth, respectively). Each group suffers from many social and spatial barriers, subjectively highlighted in circular bar graph diagrams, to give an understanding of which issues are relevant to each individual. The top three issues are extracted from these graphs and explored through a set of axons which display possibilities and spectrums of thought in relation to the particular issue highlighted.
visibility. the ability to see or be seen; state or degree of viewing
agency. the ability to retain a sense of control and influence over matters
accessibility. entry into a space or ability to reach it
space. availability or existence of area
privacy. ensuting and retaining freedom from disruption and observation
resources. inclusion or lack of specialized programs geared toward a group
communication. the ability to interact in a respectful, orderly and comprehending manner
age. differences in outlook and opinion; contributes to miscommunication
attitudes. pre-existing biases that influence treatment or behavior
appearance. physical traits on which judgements are made
The series of drawings on the following pages offer a different look at the aforementioned microsettings in relation to the four marginalized groups within the Muslim community (women, gender non-conforming persons, converts and the youth, respectively). Each group suffers from many social and spatial barriers, subjectively highlighted in circular bar graph diagrams, to give an understanding of which issues are relevant to each individual. The top three issues are extracted from these graphs and explored through a set of axons which display possibilities and spectrums of thought in relation to the particular issue highlighted.
As a preliminary method to expand the horizons of thought and possibility, an initial sketch exercise was done to envision projected futures of what a mosque could possibly be. After establishing the areas of focus, Worshipper Identity, Building Character and Cultural Context, they were further broken down into relevant aspects, and again each broken down into a spectrum of variables. The intention of this exercise was to randomly select a trait under each category, build an imagined scenario and look at the implications of that particular combination of variables.
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In many typical mosque layouts, women’s spaces are either detached or located in a vicinity where women are unable to smoothly access or make their way to the imam for questions / discussion after the prayer services and lectures. This leads to the question of women’s roles and participation within the community as well as their rights as equals.This set of drawings looks at the women’s ability to access the men’s space, ranging from the least to most direct.
Please note that the women’s prayer area is highlighted in teal, and that the layouts below are a combination of ones that exist in reality (A1, A2, A3, A4) and hypothetical ones (A5).
Women’s spaces in mosques are typically smaller than their male counterparts’ or even non-existent.This again hinders women from participation and poses the question of their roles and rights within the community. In these set of drawings, a range of proportions between adjacent male-female prayer spaces is explored, from one extreme (B1 being male only) to another (B5 being female only).
Please note that the women’s prayer area is highlighted in teal, and that for this particular study, the configuration as mentioned before is adjacent side-by-side prayer spaces for each respective group.
In most mosques, women’s spaces also include children, leading to congested areas.The lack of a special space or service for children too young to pray is much needed.These set of drawings showmen’s and women’s spaces at various proportions with the shift in responsibility of children, from the existing condition (C1) to the extreme opposite shown as women getting their own space for themselves, leaving the men and children crammed into one space (C5).
Please note that the women’s prayer area is highlighted in teal, and that the dark silhouettes represent the children in each visualization.
Visibility, identity, & exposure can affect one’s mental state of being in the prayer space. Anonymity plays a key role in allowing for the equal treatment of individuals, ranging from a complete recognition of individual identities, or a complete lack of recognition (invisibility), both of which dissolve the differences that lead to exclusion. Maintaining one’s unique identity but simultaneously belonging to a collective body is an ideal to be reached.
These set of drawings explore the ranges of anonymity in the worship space, ranging from individual isolated spaces to complete visibility in an open shared space. Please note that the red represents the prayer areas for the worshippers based on the degree of anonymity.
Acknowledgement and acceptance can take on various forms, but can also be perceived differently based on the user. This set of drawings explores the range of separation based on gender, ranging from allotted spaces to a complete dissolution of separation with the sharing of one prayer space between all worshippers.
Please note that the areas highlighted in red represents the particular device being used to compartmentalize the prayer areas.
In a similar manner to anonymity and compartmentalization, accessibility to and from spaces also becomes another area of question for gender nonconforming worshippers.This set of drawings explores the procession from entrance to ablution area to prayer space.At what what point does segregation or even joint spaces become irrelevant to the process? The diagrams range from completely separate entrance, paths and prayer spaces to every worshipper using the same entrance, path and prayer space.
Please note that the areas highlighted in red are the prayer areas in general and that the white arrows indicate the entrance.
Communication between two individuals entails lots of effort needed to make it work smoothly and meaningfully. For a new convert, many barriers can emerge in their experience, such as language barriers as well as adjusting to the social cues related customs and rituals.This set of drawings explores the range of communication through verbal (language and syntax) and visual barriers for a convert, ranging from the most minimal to extensive efforts.
Please note that scale figures highlighted in yellow represent the convert(s).
For most converts in the U.S., the process of adopting Islam is not a smooth one, keeping in mind the sentiments of the general public toward the faith. Combating a hostile home environment and a whole change in lifestyle calls for extra care to be given to this community in their vulnerable states both for their emotional and physical well-being but also to properly guide them in their new journey.This set of drawings explores the range of support and safety a mosque can offer for handling the emotional baggage that comes with converting.
Please note that figures highlighted in yellow represent the form of support that the convert is receiving.
Throughout the whole process of converting, the availability of resources is a very crucial matter to help combat the learning curve and make the process easier.This set of drawings looks at the range of services and resources available to converts, ranging from minimal (being only the Imam) to plentiful (a resource center for converts including online resources, books, and a discussion area), giving converts agency to their process of learning.
Please note that figures highlighted in yellow represent the type of resource available to converts.
The ability to transform spaces within the mosque gives youth agency over the existing spaces in mosques. It allows for them to spend additional time in the mosque asides from the required services. This set of drawings suggests how existing spaces of a mosque can have multiple functions, allowing for the essential rituals to take place while providing flexibility for the youth to make use of these spaces for their own activities.
Please note that figures highlighted in green represents the feature or area that is adaptable. For example, in the third sketch, the deck in the community garden can also become a prayer area.
The coexistence of youth of the Digital Age and elders two generations older presents quite a clash of ideals as well as that of culture. How can we help the youth and older generations see eye to eye and balance these two portions of their identity? This set of drawings explores the current condition and proposes possibilities of how a prayer space can relate to several age groups, such that everyone remains engaged and willing to create a sense a community.
In figure K1, a lecturer speaks at a podium in a room with no visuals to engage and distracted youth. K2 portrays a prayer room adds appeal with natural textures, plants and nature art. In K3, we see a comfy set with couches in a layout to encourage purely discussion. K4 introduces technology in the form of smart boards for the youth to follow along with.The last figure shows a hybrid solution in which the prayer space laden with natural décor, technology and comfortable seating also promotes discussions.
Opportunities for engagement can become a way to improve youth attendance in mosques.The best manner to get the youth involved is to give them agency over space and activities.This set of drawings looks at a range of engagement, starting with minimal agency to complete agency where the youth contributes back to the community. For example, in figure L1, there are little to no resources for the youth to have autonomy. It is just an unfurnished lecture room as opposed to in the final figure, where the youth has a designated room for meetings and a cooking area for scheduled activities.The furniture can be flexible enough to customize the necessary layout or even be mobile to allow to make space for prayer.
Asides from the intentions of this thesis to introduce different ways of understanding and pondering Muslim identity, for me especially, it taught me to broaden my own scope of thinking. The start oft his thesis focused on women’s space and “modernizing” the mosque (as per my own experiences). However, in a similar vein to the trillions of combinations that can be generated by mosque attributes, humans are just as complex. Thus, the need become inclusive must begin at the individual level, being the mindset. Along with this, I was a bit lost as to how to define the mosque let alone what my original intent of modernizing it meant. I defined the mosque as purely a house of worship as a result of the mentality in which I’ve interpreted my experiences of the mosque in a Westernized context. Thus the biggest challenge became defining the issue, embracing a learning curve in stretching the bounds of my own imagination and understanding the gravity of giving voice to marginalized groups.
In terms of the future of this exploration, the tools developed are ones that are highly variable and can be constantly refined based on the needs of a particular community (through a feedback loop). The typeof discourses and dialogue these tools are designed to open is one of the most important means for making progress towards demarginalization. The beauty of these tools is that they are not limited to Muslim communities around the United States, but are in fact universal, especially in the sense that these identities and issues are not unique to just one context.
The last but most important task this thesis has, is, and will continue to have is to serve as a reminder. The thing that is easily forgotten, especially that even I fall victim to, is remembering that Islam isa way of life. It is unique to every individual who identifies as a Muslim. Identity is not selective; it is comprehensive. It works in a feedback loop; if we are more accepting of ourselves, then naturally we can be more accepting of others. More importantly, if we are accepting of others, it becomes much easier to accept oneself. Thus to link back to the quote by the Prophet Muhammed (PBUH) referenced in the introduction of this thesis, I’d like to add to it: not just “wherever” a Muslim is, but may wherever strive to take into account whoever, whatever, however, a Muslim is or defines themselves to be.
To be updated.
To be updated.