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Architecture and the Question of Identity: Issues of Self-Representation in Islamic Community Centers in America

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Architecture and the Question of Identity: Issues of Self-Representation in Islamic Community Centers in America Architecture and the question of identity: issues of self-representation in Islamic community centers in America Wael M. Al-Masri B. Arch., The Victoria University of Manchester Manchester, England July 1984 SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF ARCHITECTURE IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE IN ARCHITECTURE STUDIES AT THE MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY JUNE 1993 © Wael M. Al-Masri 1993. All rights reserved. The author hereby grants M.I.T. permission to reproduce and to distribute publicly copies of this thesis document in whole or in part. Signature of the author Wael M. Al-Masri, Department of Architecture May 7, 1993 1C. Certified by Masood A. Khan Visiting Associate Professor of Architecture Accepted by Julian Beinart Chairman, Departmental Committee on Graduate Students MASSACHUSETTS INSTITUTE MAY 0 2 1993 Libnawisr- Architecture and the question of identity: issues of self-representation in Islamic community centers in America by Wael M. Al-Masri Submitted to the Department of Architecture on May 7, 1993 In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Architecture Studies ABSTRACT This study examines the opposed notions of architecture as an autonomous discipline and of architecture as a product of cultural politics. It also suggests that recent development in cultural critique, particularly regarding issues of identity and the representation of culture, can support architectural criticism and inform architectural production. The particular circumstances of Muslims living in America as a minority have contributed to the development of a sense of Muslim-American identity. This, while possessing a stable ideological core, can be seen as in reality a kind of hybrid identity, based on constant negotiation and shifting perspectives. Yet the reaction to certain aspects of these circumstances, as well as to the continuing East/West confrontation, have contributed to a growing assertiveness of an exclusive sense of identity, which has generally surfaced in the character of the Islamic community centers in America. In many cases this has perpetuated, through the use of architectural icons, long established Western stereotypes about Islam. There is a need, therefore, for the character of these buildings to be re-conceived on the basis of interaction and participation, rather than reaction or withdrawal; on inclusion instead of exclusion, and the articulation of a character that gives physical expression to shared values, as well as to those enriching differences that can contribute to the vitality of America. In an atmosphere of increasing multiculturalism, architecture can be viewed as a significant mediator, and as potentially capable of acting as an important vehicle of cross-cultural communication. By pointing to the implications of current architectural practices on the perception of Muslims in America, the study highlights the need to establish such a dialogue through architecture, and suggests ways of approaching a more positive architectural outlook. Thesis Supervisor: Masood A. Khan Title: Visiting Associate Professor of Architecture "O mankind! We created you from a single (pair) of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes, that you may know one another (not that you may despise each other). Verily the most honored on you in the sight of God is (he who is) the most righteous. God has knowledge and is well acquainted" The Quran, 49: 13 Acknowledgments To begin with, I wish to thank the Aga Khan Program for giving me the invaluable opportunity to further my studies at MIT. I express my deep gratitude to Masood Khan, who has been an inspiring advisor and a true friend. To him I will always turn for guidance. My sincere gratitude to Ron Lewcock whose encouragement has been for me a driving force throughout this work. I am indebted to Sibel Bozdogan for introducing me into the field of cultural critique, and for her support and enthusiasm. I am also indebted to Bill Porter for inspiring me to initiate this work. My special thanks to Omar Khalidi for his valuable assistance in obtaining the necessary material. I would like to thank Nasser Rabat for his support. From him I learned the advantage of skepticism. My two years in Cambridge could not have been the same without Tarek Beshir. To him and to Nadia I would like to express my deep regards for being true friends. To Raya Ani,Vivek Agrawal, Sonit Bafna, Robert Gonzalez, Zisong Feng, and Joseph Wong, my appreciation for their help and concern. This thesis is dedicated to my mother, my sisters Zaida and Sahar, and to the memory of my father. Table of Contents: Abstract 2 Acknowledgements 4 Introduction 7 Chapter I: Representation and identity 12 I. 1. The Western views of Islam 13 I. 2. Issues of self- representation 23 Chapter II: The cultural context: negotiating Muslim identity 28 II. 1. Understanding Muslim identity 30 II. 2. A brief history of Muslims in America 31 II. 3. Social aspects of immigrant life: 32 - Change and stability, . From the "Melting Pot" to Multiculturalism II. 4. Muslims in America: conflicts and opportunities: 39 - Religion and politics in America . US. foreign policy, and the image of Islam . Issues of adaptation and negotiation II. 5. The development of nationwide Islamic institutions 47 II. 6. The Community Center 51 Chapter III: The community Center: the "multilayered dialectic" of Islamic architecture in America 54 III. 1. The modern background of the Western image of Islamic architecture: 57 - European representation of Oriental architecture - Oriental architecture in America - Western architects designing for Muslims in America III. 2. "The multilayered dialectic" in the architecture of Islamic community centers: 67 The search for 'visual authenticity" and the perpetuation of myths 68 "The Islamic Cultural Center of Washington DC. - Dar al-Islam, Abiquiu, New Mexico The confrontational aspects of identity 75 Between "dialogic" representation and the expression of the "Melting Pot": The Islamic Center of Evansville 78 Chapter IV: The contemporary interpretation of tradition: The Islamic Cultural Center of Manhattan, New York 90 The mosque: Michael McCarthy, Partner of Skidmore, Owengs & Merrill The minaret: Alton Gursel, Swanke Hayden Connell IV. 1. Project background: 91 IV. 2. The Manhattan Mosque and its Ottoman precedent 93 IV. 3. Cultural interpretations: 96 " The women's prayer gallery - External relationships: the master plan - Imagery and identity: the official image of Islam . The cross-cultural role of the mosque Chapter V: Islamic architecture in America between idealism and practice: the work of Gulzar Haider 112 V. 1. The background of the architect's views on Islamic architecture in North America 114 V. 2. Universality and tradition: The Islamic Center of North America-ICNA: 115 " The symbolic principles of ICNA; Haider and the Sense of Unity " The geometric principles of ICNA - The "veiling" of the mosque " The rhetorical question of the minaret - ICNA and Haider's appropriation of modern architecture. V. 3. The assertion of identity; Haider's change of position from the "Hidder" to the "Manifest" 126 V. 4. The persistence of the "cycle of representation" 128 Reflections 137 Sources of illustrations 145 Bibliography 147 INTRODUCTION Introduction This thesis is concerned with the relationship between architecture and the issue of representation with particular reference to Islamic community centers in America. Central to this study is the need for mutual understanding between the cultures involved, and the need to find a balance in the field of architectural expression. The search is for an equilibrium between, on the one hand, an identity of difference which risks alienation, and, on the other, the attempt at reconciliation (forced or voluntary), which sacrifices the creative potentials of diversity. In studying Islamic community centers, we hope to gain an insight into the way Muslims are approaching the challenge of their life in America. The architectural character of these centers has been shaped by both the images of Islamic architecture in the West as constructed through the Orientalist discourse, and the development of "Contemporary Islamic Architecture" which reflects the post-colonial search for identity, as well as by the particularities of postmodern architectural practice in America. By looking at their architectural products, we may evaluate how much of the historical confrontation between Islam and the West is shaping Muslim identity in America, and how much this Muslim presence is contributing to what Michael Fischer calls "Orientalizing America."I Architecture concerns a product, 'a building', as well as 'the process of building'. Both aspects of architecture are clearly interrelated and reflect, besides issues of functionality, structure, construction technology, aesthetics and physical context, a broader interplay of social, economic, and political forces. The effects of such a varied set of forces on a building provide it with a range of complex interpretive potentials. Much of the uniqueness of an architectural product is an outcome of its program as intended and formulated by the client, as interpreted by the architect, and as modified throughout the design, construction and operational stages. These processes relate to the value systems of each affected party to the architectural process, and reflect, through the outcome of that process, the interactive complexities of the culture or cultures to which these
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