Blending In - the First Step to Non-existence?

Written by Ahmad Ashiqilahi

The masajid of Allah have long been benefiting mankind. From the early construction of the Ka’bah in Makkah, these places of worship have been established so that mankind may remember their Lord and seek closeness to Him. However, their benefit is by no means limited to this central purpose.

 The architectural splendour of masajid spread throughout the world is known by many. The Masjid-i Jahān-Numā, commonly known as the Jama Masjid of Delhi was commissioned by the Mughal Emperor Shah Jahan, builder of the Taj Mahal. It lies at the origin of a very busy central street of Old Delhi and delivers a compelling aura with three grand gates, four towers and two 40m-high minarets constructed of strips of red sandstone and white marble. The masjid is about 8000 metres long and 549 metres wide, and its roof is covered with eight domes with repeated stripes of purple and white marble.

Travel to Casablanca and you will find the much visited Hassan II Masjid. This epic landmark is the legacy of the late King Hassan II to Casablanca and modern Morocco. Marble was brought in from Agadir, cedar from the Middle Atlas and granite from Tafraoute. Most of the work was undertaken by master craftsmen producing beautiful tile work, wood carving and stucco moulding. The masjid now provides space for 25,000 worshippers and a further 80,000 in the courtyard. The soaring minaret stands at 200 metres high.

Move to Istanbul and you will find the Sultan Ahmed Mosque, more commonly known as the Blue Mosque due to the blue decorative tiles in its interior. While still used as a mosque, it has also become a popular tourist attraction boasting over 20,000 hand-crafted tiles, 200 intricately designed stained glass windows and a multitude of Quranic verses reminding the visitor of the greatness of Allah.

A central design of these masajid has been the dual combination of minaret and dome, so much so that these are now seen as an architectural marker of a masjid. However, these innocent markers are increasingly coming under pressure as Muslims seek to peacefully build a place to worship their Lord in the West. Why?

Take the example of The Noor Islamic Center in Dublin, Ohio, one of the largest new Islamic worship centres in the U.S. It lacks minarets, and its domes are designed to be understated.

"We went to the architect and explained that we didn't want a building that stood out as a mosque," said Khaled Farag, one of The Noor Islamic Center’s founders.

"We wanted something that would fit into a residential neighbourhood. We wanted an American mosque," Farag said.

Architect Bob Apel says his marching orders were clear.

"They didn't want to impose themselves on everybody else," he said. "They wanted to be part of the community."

This statement is telling. What does it mean to be part of a community? With respect to the services offered, the masjid stands out as being an integral part of its local community. Approximately 2,000 people attend prayers weekly and the masjid hosts a variety of activities including legal and health clinics, weekend classes for children, counselling services and parenting classes, among others. It also holds a weekly "Islam 101" class and tour each Saturday, bringing in members of local churches and synagogues.

To me, such an open approach does not need to "blend" into the background. A Muslim community making a positive contribution to society should not feel that it must mimic the norm, if such a thing could be defined, in order to feel accepted. If we give in to those who object to the visible aspects of Islam they will not stop. Eventually they will begin to claim offence over every aspect of our lives, including even our names. We are already seeing it happening in schools where the first thing the teacher does when a child arrives in kindergarten is to Anglicise the Muslim name. Mohammad become "Mo" or "Ed" and Sumayyah becomes "Sam" or "Sami".

This move to become faceless Muslims is no doubt influenced by the growing islamophobic voices intent on removing all signs of a Muslim – the hijab being just one of their targets.

This is not the time to bow to these loud, ill-conceived voices intent on damaging Islam. Our approach now should be to stay steadfast in our visible signs, from hijab through to minaret, while embellishing these signs with the good character that our beloved Prophet (peace and blessing be upon him) came to teach us. In doing so, we will help to reconnect these signs of Islam to its central message of obedience to Allah and the good that comes with such obedience.