"This text will be the classic work in the field.... It will be
extremely useful for general Islamic studies, for studies of
religion in America, and for the study of Islam in America." --
Aminah Beverly McCloud, Associate Professor of Islamic Studies,
DePaul University, Chicago
From the avant-garde design of the Islamic Cultural Center in
New York City to the simplicity of the Dar al-Islam Mosque in
Abiquiu, New Mexico, the American mosque takes many forms of visual
and architectural expression. The absence of a single,
authoritative model and the plurality of design nuances reflect the
heterogeneity of the American Muslim community itself, which
embodies a whole spectrum of ethnic origins, traditions, and
religious practices.
In this book, Akel Ismail Kahera explores the history and
theory of Muslim religious aesthetics in the United States since
1950. Using a notion of deconstruction based on the concepts of
"jamal" (beauty), "subject," and "object" found in the writings of
Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), he interprets the forms and meanings of
several American mosques from across the country. His analysis
contributes to three debates within the formulation of a Muslim
aesthetics in North America-- first, over the meaning, purpose, and
function of visual religious expression; second, over the spatial
and visual affinities between American and non-American mosques,
including the Prophet's mosque at Madinah, Arabia; and third, over
the relevance of culture, place, and identity to the making of
contemporary religious expression in North America.
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