Thesis (M. Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes special study report entitled: Spatial transition in Mosque. Includes bibliographical references.

Thesis (M.Arch.)--University of Hong Kong, 1995. / Includes special study report entitled: Spatial transition in Mosque. Includes bibliographical references. Also available in print.

Why this proposal makes sense... The aim of this project is to research the relationship between a mosque and the functions of a community center. It is located between Tensta and Rinkeby, two suburbs in the north of Stockholm. I believe that the two areas can gain a lot by a shared community center due to both positive and negative similarities. The proximity to Järvafältet and Kista is a great plus in the equation. Kista is another suburb in the Järva area and it has been a huge success with regards to education, entrepreneurship and the IT-industry that re- sides there. My goal was to create a contemporary mosque that stays true to Islamic architectural concepts while I develop a new aesthetic language for the spaces that a mosque requires. How can we use the mosque as an attracting catalyst in order to reach out to the inhabitants in these areas? A lot of people in Järva have roots in other parts of the world. There are a lot of vibrant communities from all over the world in Tensta and Rinkeby. People have great respect for faith and religious matters and consider it to be a major part of their identity. What spaces can a mosque share with the community center for opti- mal use and convenience? My proposal takes into consideration that a mosque has a limited num- ber of days during the year when the worshippers need all the space that they can get. I have therefore proposed to put the mosque next to the sports hall so that the sports hall can be used for prayer and spiritual activities during special events such as the month of Ramadan and Friday prayers. When the sports hall is not used by the mosque it goes back to being just a regular sports hall with an intricate roof. What makes it a community center? To make the project more compelling I have added other functions in order to address the needs and wishes of the inhabitants. There is also a library, a food court, lecture hall/cinema, offices, conference rooms, seminar rooms and a class room.

京都大学 / 0048 / 新制・論文博士 / 博士(工学) / 乙第13091号 / 論工博第4152号 / 新制||工||1675(附属図書館) / (主査)教授 髙橋 大弐, 教授 原田 和典, 教授 竹脇 出 / 学位規則第4条第2項該当 / Doctor of Philosophy (Engineering) / Kyoto University / DFAM

Tuti is an Island at the confluence of the Blue and the White Niles in Khartoum city, the capital of Sudan. The intention of this thesis is to design a bridge on the blue Nile which links the Contemporary world of Khartoum, the urban conurbation, to the Vernacular world of Tuti Island, the rural settlement. In addition, the project aims to provide a space that welcomes the bridge and to be a meeting plaza for both worlds. It is also intended to provide the Island with landmarks to be used as a point of reference. These landmarks from an integral part of the main theme running through the design from the edge of the Island to the center. This theme incorporates the essential design elements of the Islamic traditional house, which are the courtyard (the core of the house), scattered rooms which form the courtyard, and the wall that encloses the house. These landmarks are: the edge sit,representing the first landmark housing a threshold, a wall enclosing the courtyard, a market and a mosque which is the predominant building; a library, a plaza, the center plaza that accommodates a renovated buildings. The end result would be the linking the fast life of Khartoum to the quite and settled life of Tuti. / Master of Architecture

In this thesis, I intend to examine differences between religious communities and practices through a comparative study of funeral ceremonies performed at Hacibayram and Kocatepe Mosques in Ankara. The ethnographic data, which have been collected through eighty-seven funeral ceremony that I attended in these two mosques, shows that there are repetitive patterns among funeral ceremonies performed in the same mosque. When we compare the ceremonial patterns in Hacibayram Mosque and Kocatepe Mosque, it is observed that funeral ceremonies performed in these two mosques is differentiated in terms of material culture, gender and sentiments. There are different variables for these ritual differentiations, such as the nature and composition of a religious community frequenting a mosque, and the meanings and traditions ascribed to a mosque, which affect the way in which prayers are perceived and practiced. Besides, it is also realized that repetitive patterns among funeral ceremonies performed in the same mosque may even differentiate, because of social status and worldview of deceased and mourners.

Islamophobia and misconceptions or negative portrayal of Muslims have led Muslims in Western societies being discriminated by people who hold religious and racial prejudice. Against this backdrop, Muslim communities in Britain run a national campaign called “Visit My Mosque”. This thesis explores whether the campaign follows the three variables of social movements: political opportunities, mobilising structures, and framing processes to take shape and emerge. Close examination to data, collected from interviews with four Muslim activists, reveals themes which point to the variables. The regional political context in Europe following the terrorists attack at the office of Charlie Hebdo magazine in Paris triggers activists in Britain to launch the “Visit My Mosque” campaign. The political climate provides an opportunity for Muslims to take collective action. The pressure on Muslim communities, as a result of Islamophobia and negative portrayal of Muslims by some sections of the media, provides narratives to transform grievances into action. And finally, the campaign emerges due to the presence of the Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) which facilitates the campaign and provides support to networks of participating mosques. These findings may offer more understanding into the study of social movements in general and religious activism in particular.

The thesis examines the extent to which the Tablighi Jamaat (TJ) as an Islamic, theocratic and social movement has negotiated and adapted to the British context, especially London in the post 7/7 period. TJ is the largest Islamic movement in the word and is characterised as an isolationist, disengaged, salvation oriented, apolitical organisation. The London branch of TJ has ambitions to construct a headquarter mosque in London – a project facing opposition across a spectrum of British society, and brandished as the “mega mosque”. As a means of ensuring the success of their project, London TJ leaders have embarked on a process of socio-political engagement aiming to demonstrate that the movement has changed its modes of operation, and trying to curtail allegations of radicalisation, after reports of terrorists passing through TJ mosques. Extensive observation research and interviews with TJ leaders, grassroots members and others involved in the on going contestation of the project, explain the adoption of the new strategy from the perspective of an elite and instrumentally aware leadership. In essence how the new strategy has been justified and re-framed, making it acceptable to a wider audience. The Public Inquiry over Enforcement Action of TJ’s mosque in Newham allowed for both TJ and opponents to highlight wider issues surrounding TJ and its stance towards engagement and commitment to community cohesion. Engagement may have initially been a tick-box exercise for London TJ leaders, but interacting with the wider community has had a transformative effect. TJ Leaders in London have emerged as a practical minded, demonstrating adaptability to local contexts, ensuring the survival of the movement. The durability of this, given the conservative and revivalist nature of the movement, will be a test of time.

The purpose of this study was to examine the historical development of Islamic libraries internationally and in South Africa and to examine the Islamic Library in Gatesville as a case study to understand in which way communities have sought to provide a solution for adequate library facilities for the specific needs of the Muslim community in the greater Cape Town area.

Thesis advisor: Peter Skerry / This thesis is a further study of Peter Skerry’s 2011 article, “the Muslim-American Muddle,” in which he argues that not only non-Muslim Americans are worrying about Muslims’ loyalty issue due to the fear of radical Islamism and terrorism, but also Muslims are confused. My basic argument is that Muslims are still suffering from their muddled loyalty. It is not because they are disloyal but because, in light of Grodzins, their organizations guide them in different directions which are not always en route to national loyalty as non-Muslims expect. Inspired by Morton Grodzins’s theory on social structure and national loyalty in liberal democracies and James Q. Wilson’s insightful study on political organizations, this research has sought to understand the Muslim muddle with an in-depth inquiry and examination on one of the most common and important Islamic organizations—Islamic centers and mosques with an ethnographical method. The evidence of this thesis was collected between April 2016 and December 2017. In fact, I almost visited every mosque in Massachusetts. However, I was not always lucky to build strong connections with many centers for various reasons. In this thesis, I only select those mosques that I had visited more than three times. And I try my best to interview as many leaders as possible. I also manage to keep a geographical and sectarian balance in my sample. I hope to cover all types of mosques in Boston area. My findings are interesting, though of course often confusing and may contradicting with each other but I am duty-bound to report them even if it may had negative impact on the generalization power of my argument. I find that Islamic centers have different goals and offer different incentives to overcome collective actions problems. Both solidarity and political engagement are valued by Islamic centers in general, but individual organizations have different preferences which are results of divergent immigrant experiences. So the organizational aspect of Muslims community is fragmented. However, the increasing external political pressure in the post 9/11 period did not overcome the problem but aggravated it by simply empowering purposive mosques like ISBCC in public sphere. / Thesis (MA) — Boston College, 2018. / Submitted to: Boston College. Graduate School of Arts and Sciences. / Discipline: Political Science.