By: Ammara Bokhari/Global Needs Assessment
Late last month, voters in Switzerland approved a ban on the construction of minarets on mosques. The ban has come from a Swiss concern with the spread of “radical Islam”, regardless of the fairly moderate presence of the Muslim community in Switzerland. The government stated that a ban on minarets is “not a rejection of the Muslim community, religion or culture” but instead “reflects fears among the population of Islamic fundamentalist tendencies”.
Islam is Switzerland’s second largest religion after Christianity, with a population of 400,000 Muslims, most of whom are from the former Yugoslavia and Turkey. There are only four mosques with minarets in the country. The ban on minaret construction can certainly be viewed as another anti-Islam move from yet another European country, which is a serious issue in itself, but I see it as something even greater- a ban on design and architecture! And the complete disrespect of a widely used art historical method. I begin to question, how exactly does a work of art such as the minaret, possess “Islamic fundamentalist tendencies”? Wouldn’t it be like relating a church bell or dome to extreme Christian evangelism?
When diving into the history of Islamic art and architecture, with its rich and intricate designs and functions, one can see that even though it represents Islam, the beautification of design lies parallel to its methodological functions. As the Orthodox equivalent of the church bell- the minaret was used to call worshippers for prayer, five times a day. This has now been transformed into the adhan being heard from loud speakers and in this day and age, the call to prayer can be made from anywhere inside the mosque, as is the case in the West today.
But is the minaret an essential part of Islamic law? Certainly not. And it is far from any representation or encouragement of extremism. Function and use aside, the minaret remains symbolic in representing Islam as a whole, just as church domes and rose windows accent the expression of the Christian church. In the early years of Islam, the Near East was still overwhelmingly non-Muslim when Islamic architecture was taking form and various mosques were being constructed. Looking at Gothic and Renaissance church design, their architecture was constructed with the intention to glorify Christianity and attract people towards the faith. Were minarets then, intended to express to the local non-Muslim community that Islam too, is capable of developing monumental architecture for its own glory and to inspire non-Muslims in religious glorification? More so, artists and architects in Islam’s early years designed minarets with the intention to find a worthy outward expression of their faith directed primarily, if not exclusively, at the Muslim community itself, serving the simple function of the call to prayer. Science too perhaps played a role in minaret design amongst the hot temperatures of the Near East- as minarets are seen to provide natural ventilation through mosques, especially when the sun heats the dome.
Has the West labeled the aesthetics of Islamic architecture as an unwelcome and “foreign” model, making it feel like an outsider among the Western art-historical method? One can even call this association “Orientalist”. Famous Palestinian American literary theorist Edward Said (1935 – 2003) is best recognized for his argument about Orientalism. Said describes that Western depictions of the Middle East do not rise from facts or reality, but instead from false preconceived notions that look at the Middle East as “dissimilar” and “different” to the West and therefore, encompassing a subjective view in its study and evaluation.
Switzerland has presented weak reasoning with the minaret ban. If historically the minaret didn’t inhibit “fundamentalist tendencies”, labeling it as doing so today really is not fair. Its’ construction was a means of religious expression, artistic design and even practical use. Isn’t religious architecture- particularly places of worship- a means of expressing religion as a whole in an artistically designed method? Islamically, all one needs for prayer is a clean and tidy spot on the ground. Mosque design is a means of artistic expression for the purpose of religious glorification. Although design can be broken down into detailed categories, in its entirety- churches, mosques, temples, synagogues, and other places of worship- all should be seen as a creative representation of religion through design- design that has presence through historical roots and should take precedence in architectural evaluation. Where is the love, people?
.
Recent Comments