Why Mosques?

Khadhija was wholeheartedly proud to be a Muslim for the first time in her life when she saw the mosques in Turkey 20 years ago.

When asked why, she said the mosque in her little town in the US where she grew up was in the small basement of an old building and she never felt comfortable mentioning her religion to her non-Muslim friends because the mosque she belonged to wasn't a physically pleasant place to invite them to introduce them to her Islamic culture and share the joy of a holiday or special day.

When Khadhija saw the massive mosques in their spectacular traditional appearance, with the domes and minarets in their unique architecture in İstanbul for the first time, as she had only seen in photos and videos before, she felt very proud to be part of this marvelous culture and felt more deeply connected to her Islamic roots.

Khadhija is not an exception. Most first and second-generation American Muslims have similar memories when speaking about their journeys of faith through their religious institutions. According to records, the first mosque in the US was established in Highland Park, Michigan, in 1912. Yet, those buildings didn't have any Islamic characteristics because when early Muslim immigrants came to the US right after the Civil War, most of them were peddlers and it seems they couldn't aim to build or maintain any permanent mosques until the early 20th century. The first mosques were mostly a general space owned by an individual or a community, such as a house, loft or some empty space. Thus, it was easy to open a mosque anywhere in the state in such a form at that time.

However, in 1947 the first visually identified mosque was built in Sacramento, California. Architectural historian Jerrilynn Dodds states that since then, the majority of mosques “began to use a set of visual forms that mark them and bind them in the urban landscape.” These forms are both architectural and decorative. The dome and the minaret, for example, have become pan-Islamic symbols. I was personally very impressed when I saw the Ottoman-style Islamic Center mosque in Perrysburg, Ohio, with its sleek 45-meter-high minarets and dome.

Over the years, as the US Muslim population has grown, the number of mosques and Islamic institutions has increased. Nowadays, American Muslims have at least 2,100 mosques in 50 states, ranging from very modest prayer places like Khadhija's childhood basement mosque to custom-built, million-dollar complexes. Those mosques and Islamic centers are located wherever Muslims exist around the US, from big cities to small towns, in workplaces, research centers, hospitals, universities, army, navy and air force bases and even in prisons. Many of those mosques, cultural centers and Islamic facilities are not only used for religious rituals and education, but parts of them are also used for social activities, parties, wedding ceremonies and social gatherings. They play a central role for Muslim communities as religious and cultural symbols. Unfortunately, mosques have started facing prejudice and challenges from local regulations. Many US communities have stood in the way of these authentic-looking mosques and American Muslims have faced drastic limitations on the projects. These struggles come from both elected officials in city hall and from local residents.

Recently, especially after the Paris terrorist attacks, there have been several threats to mosques in the US. They are a direct danger to the American Muslim identity since mosques are a symbol of the financial and economic power of American Muslims. Many worshippers have cut back on the frequency of their visits to their mosques over fear for their lives. I hope those threats stop after the shock of the Paris attacks has passed because they are a threat not only to these places but also to the idea of the land of the free.

Arzu Kaya Uranlı (Cihan/Today's Zaman)