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Historical Mosque Designs:
The first mosque, according to Islamic tradition, was Muhammad's house in Mecca. Of course, the growing religion quickly outstripped such humble boundaries, and many mosques sprang up accross the growing Islamic Caliphate. There were few similarities among these early mosques, because each of the many cultures under the Caliphate had their own design for a sacred sanctum. However, the dome-and-minaret mosque design that is well known today rose to prominence in the Islamic community and can be found all over the world today.

This design, however, may not be correct for all mosques in the varying religious and social areas, and raises several issues.

Practical Issues:
A minaret is a tower attached to a mosque, from which traditionally a crier calls people to prayer. While practical in an age before public address systems and in predominantly Muslim communities, difficulties arise today in a more Western setting. Many Western cities and countries have noise laws, which prohibit the crier from performing their duties. In addition, in a mostly non-Muslim society, the call to prayer will interrupt many people for whom it has no meaning five times a day. In addition, some groups against the building of new mosques oppose minarets in particular, saying they dominate the skyline and draw attention away from other buildings. In fact, some anti-mosque groups take objection further than trying to banish minarets or signing anti-mosque petitions; one group in Italy even walked a pig (an unclean animal in Islam) onto a future mosque site, claiming they were "blessing" it.



Despite this, the number of mosques has continued to increase, with as many as a third of United States mosques opening in this millenium. Mosques in the U.S over this millenium
 * = 1209 mosques ||= 1925 mosques ||
 * = 2000 C.E. ||= 2011 C.E. ||

Sacred Difficulties:
Within the Muslim community itself, mosque architecture can raise controversy. Some cite minarets as unnecessary relics, while others insist they are vital parts of mosques. More controversial, however, is the issue of prayer sites for men and women. More traditional mosques have separate entrances and rooms for prayer for men and women, but some mosques do not. A mosque architect today is faced with appeasing both the possibly hostile community that will play host to the mosque, and with the satisfaction of the people who will use the mosque itself.



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Modern Mosques:
These difficulties, however, are sparking a tide of ingenuity in mosque designers. In the An-Nasr mosque in Rotterdam, the minaret is glass, with the call to prayer traced on it in lights which will pulse to the rythym of the muezzin,'s or crier's, voice. When not calling prayer, the minaret will be subtle, the clear glass making it transparent. Architects are building mosques capable of holding men and women in either one room, two rooms, or in sections. Traditional Islamic symbols are used along with more modern, more abstract designs. Regardless of the controversy and opposition, mosque designers are beautifying their sacred spaces in new and old ways.

Works Cited: Macauley, David. //Mosque//. // Time // Magazine Website, "Updating the Mosque for the 21st Century". Power, Carla. [|www.time.com]. // Architecture Week, // "Modern Mosque". Such, Robert. [|www.architectureweek.com]. // Council on Foriegn Relations //, "Pew Forum: Controversies over Mosques and Islamic Centers across the U.S.". [|www.cfr.org.It]