Islamophobia and the art of islam

Islamophobia is the prejudice towards Muslims based on their faith. It is a term used to characterize attitudes and behaviors of people who denigrate others who identify with Islam. Islamophobia belongs to the same category as other forms of discrimination like racism and homophobia. Although there has long been a fear of Islam, it has now become out of control. False views of Islam in the minds of people are the primary source of Islamophobia. These views are the result of ignorance. Political players have taken advantage of this information gap to sway public opinion and secure support for war and power. Stakeholders that against Muslims are well funded and they use their funds to spread propaganda using the media. This propaganda include statement such as Muslims promotes violence and terrorism. Therefore, there is need of a parallel institution to spread the right information regarding Islam. People need to learn that Islam does not in any way promote violence as Islam per se means peace. This study’s design entails an Islamic center that open to Muslims and people of different faiths.

Islamic Center

The Islamic center will be a place of worship and a place to create awareness about Islam. The reason behind my thinking for a center that is open for everyone is to show that Islam is a religion that is open to everyone. In other words, to create awareness, it is necessary to open up a center that will act as a reference point for Islam. The center will stand out for everyone to know about its existence. The city will be built in Saint Paul the capital of the twin cities. This is because the capital has other well-preserved architectural designs used in the 19th century. The styles had some middle Asian influences which will blend well with the Islamic center.

Park51 will highly influence the design of the building. Park51 according to Barnard has proposed Islamic center built near ground zero. The Islamic Center entailed features such as theater, daycare center, theater gym, and pool. It also consisted lofty spaces for meditation and prayer, a 9/11 memorial, art exhibitions and others for religious debates. Barnard continued to claim that the proposed Islamic center architectural design was influenced largely by designs from the Middle East. This proposal went hand in hand with the statement of Hasan who found that architecture in the past were influenced by factors such as technology, climatic conditions and exchange of different cultural ideas among the builders. He said that it impossible to find pure religion architectural structure due to the rising rate of cultural exchange. Modernization has influenced the architectural structures of the modern Islam. Put differently; the Islamic architectural style has borrowed building and decorations from other cultures.

Moreover, Khan’s statement of borrowing styles as supported by Kahera statement. Kahera said that the American Mosque construction enhances memory by borrowing decoration styles borrowed from countries like Turkey and Iran. In other words, American Architects influenced by a style from the Muslim world.

I am concerned with the statement of Barnard and Khan that mosques tend to be influenced by other cultures. This is quite the opposite with my design whereby the Islamic center I will have a pure Islamic identity. This is because a Mosque architecture represents the uniqueness of the Islamic society. Moreover, it portrays unity among Muslim from different Islamic societies. Reserving the Islamic style will be like preserving the heritage of Islam. The mosque will inspire not only the Islamic community but also the rest of the population with its design. It will encourage voluntary participation from both the Muslims and other people of other religions.

Reason for Establishment of the Islamic Center

The major reason behind the Islamic center will be to pass information as Islamophobia has been on the rise due to lack of information about Islam. For example, on the one hand, people believe that Islam promotes violence and war. On the other hand, the Holy Qur’an says that whoever kills a soul unjustly is a killer of the entire humanity and if one saved a life then it is as if he saved the whole humanity. This example clearly shows that there is propaganda spread against Islam. Therefore, the role of the Islamic center will be to eliminate this kind of propaganda.

The second reason behind my design is to act a way to observe Islamic culture. Like I stated earlier, my design will be influenced highly by Islamic architectures from different Islamic communities. Therefore, it will not only observe this architectural styles but also act as reference point for the styles. In addition to that, my design will make the Islamic to stand out which will create awareness about Islamic culture. I will design the center in a way that will create an interest in wanting to know more about Islam.

The third reason behind the center is that the place as a place of meditation and worship. This is because of there a growth of Muslim population in twin cities. Therefore, there a need to provide the growing population with an extra place of worship. This place of worship will be open for both Muslims and the rest of the population. However, Muslims will worship in a different room from the counterparts. The Islamic Center will be a place whereby Islamic community can access halal food.

Location

My design will stand out because of its location. This is because the center will be located in Saint Paul the capital of the twin cities. Also, my location is ideal because it will offer a psychological efficiency. It will offer a psychological efficiency because it will be built near the site of gourd zero. Because it will be a chance for the Muslim community to show Islamic religion peaceful nature. It will also be a sign of religious freedom

The Anatomy and Decoration of the Islamic Center

The Islamic center will contain rooms that will make up for an exhibition center, a restaurant that will offer hall food, a lecture hall, a fitness center, a mosque. And a 911 memorial. The rooms will be built in tree-like structure to show the diversity and unity of Islam community. The worship hall will accommodate more than 2,500 worshipers. The prayer hall will be made of large dome that is surrounded by smaller domes which can act as extra space for prayers. The dome will be located at the center of the building. Also, the Islamic center will consist of a spiral minaret.

The exhibition will be made up of Islam decor and graffiti. The decor will include a giant cartouche with a quotation from the Qur’an. In addition to that, the decor will include glittering chandelier. The light from the lamps will be regulated to create a glittering spectacle. The center will entail marble lined interior and bright dome which will symbolize an escape from the outside world. Moreover, they will be an open space with natural environment where people can socialize. I will design the ventilation using lattice screen to allow natural light. In my design, the outside walls of the Islamic Center will be painted with sand colored paint to depict the desert environment in the Middle East. Modern lighting systems will be installed in the lecture halls and the restaurant.

Additionally, I will design the center with minimum enclosing wall to make the center easily accessible. The irregular shaping of the center will provide different wavelengths of natural light depending on the activities inside a certain room. For the floor, I will use marble finishes. The restaurant, lecture hall and the fitness center will be painted simply according to their needs, but marble floors will be installed. Air conditioners will be installed the lecture hall, restaurant and the exhibition center to cater for the different climatic condition. My design will also embrace new technology. The construction techniques will entail the use of modern technology. Technology will also influence teaching methods in the Islamic center. In short, my design will offer a serene environment for worshiping, meditating and learning for people from different religious backgrounds.

Significance of the design

The efficiency of the design will increase interaction in the Islamic center this is because the design is user-friendly in nature. The physical efficiency of the center will attract people from different walks of life including the physically challenged. Moreover, my design entails minimal wall divisions. Therefore, it is easily accessible. This means users can make maximum use of the center because all the room are equally accessible. My design will offer a quiet environment a shift from their normal busy and noisy streets. The serenity of the place will give non-Muslims the urge to keep on visiting the place. Furthermore, the beauty of the people will give people some psychological satisfaction.

Conclusion

It is important to combat the high rate of Islamophobia in the country which has largely been spread by institutions such as the media. Therefore it important to create a parallel institution that will offer the right information concerning Islam. Therefore, I came up with a design of Islamic center that will offer information about Islam not only to the Islam community but also to the rest of the population. The Islamic institution will be composed of a lecture hall, a worship center, a fitness center and a restaurant. For example, the lecture will be used to teach people about Islam. The restaurant will offer halal food to the Islam community in Twin cities.

The location of the building will be built near ground zero to show zero tolerance towards terrorism. My design also encourages the use of technology and modern construction such as lighting. The anatomy and decor of the building will bring a kind of psychological healing to visitors. In other words, my design will invite potential visitors due to the appearance and activities of the building.

Bibliography

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Anne Barnard, “First Look Inside the Proposed Islamic Center,” New York Times, October 2, 2010. http://www.nytimes.com/2010/10/03/nyregion/03muslim.html

Frishman, Martin, Hasan-Uddin Khan, and Mohammad al- Asad. The Mosque: History, Architectural Development & Regional Diversity. London: Thames and Hudson, 2007.

Kahera, Akel Ismail. Deconstructing the American Mosque: Space, Gender, and Aesthetics. Austin: University Of Texas Press, 2008.