"You can have a grand dome and grand minaret, but if it doesn't really serve the purpose, if it only has a large prayer space and nothing else, then you're not really fulfilling the needs of the community," he says. — BBC News
In post 9/11 America the construction of new mosques in the US has sometimes sparked controversy and even confrontation. Is that why some new Muslim houses of worship are being built without the most recognisable features of Islamic architecture - minarets and domes?
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Islam's Pray Anywhere Genius
I wrote about this back in 2010. See my article here.
I liked JaneO'Brien's essay on American Mosques but these type of buildings existed without minarets and domes way before 9/11; see my book on the topic Deconstructing the American Mosque (2002) UT Press http://www.utexas.edu/utpress/books/kahdec.html
Taking a refuge from the rain in southern Turkey, Muslims pray towards Mecca at the entrance of a neighboring church. Note the respected access to the open door of the church on the right.
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