Mosque and Society: Cambridge Central Mosque “A British Mosque for the 21st Century”

Abstract

Mosques are at the heart of Muslim lives, especially in non-Muslim communities—the variety of cultures and nationalities of the immigrants determines the concept of mosques in Britain. The landscape of the mosques in Britain differs in regard to the cultural, national and denominational concepts. Most of the mosques are focused on either specific nationalities or denominations. The current article explores the ways in which mosques are situated in contemporary societies in relation to expressing Islamic and cultural identities, using Cambridge Central Mosque, which debuted in Britain in 2019 with the motto "eco-friendly", as a case study. The current research focuses primarily on examining the architectural, sustainable, and social aspects of the Cambridge Central Mosque. After engaging with the design feature of the Mosque, the article questions the meaning of 'British Mosque' in its functioning and multicultural structure. Eco-friendly mosques have been on the agenda since the beginning of Islam. There are many mosques in history. For example, Esrefoglu Mosque in Konya was built using ecological materials and has survived for 900 years. In the 21st century, the increased interest in eco-friendly buildings due to the growing rate of industrialisation and the ensuing pollution of the environment has reminded us to focus on sustainability, as it has always been a core concept in Islam and Muslim lives. Offering a good perspective on this issue, The Cambridge Central Mosque represents an overarching space for all Muslims, women, and families. It is an example of environmentally friendly, sustainable, and integrated with the social structure in the modern world.

Keywords

• Mosque
• Britishness
• Architecture
• Culture
• Identity
• Society.

Mosque and Society: Cambridge Central Mosque “A British Mosque for the 21st Century”

Abstract

Camiler, özellikle gayrimüslim toplumlarda Müslüman yaşamının merkezinde yer alır. Göçmenlerin kültür ve milliyet çeşitliliği, Britanya'daki cami kavramını belirlemektedir. Britanya'daki camiler kültürel, ulusal ve mezhepsel kavramlar açısından farklılık göstermektedir. Camilerin çoğu ya belirli milliyetlere ya da mezheplere odaklanmaktadır. Çevre dostu camiler İslam'ın başlangıcından beri İslam mimarisinin gündeminde olmuştur. Tarihte buna örmek verilebilecek birçok camii mevcuttur. Örneğin Konya’da bulunan Eşrefoğlu Camii ekolojik malzeme kullanılarak inşa edilmiş ve 900 yıldır mevcudiyetini sürdürebilmiştir. 21. yüzyılda sanayileşmenin artması ve buna bağlı olarak pek çok çevre problemlerinin ortaya çıkması nedeniyle çevre dostu binalara olan ilgi artmıştır. Bu durum, İslam'ın ve Müslümanların hayatında her zaman temel bir kavram olan sürdürülebilirliğe yeniden odaklanmamız gerektiğini bize hatırlatmıştır. Bu konuya güzel bir perspektif sunan Cambridge Merkez Camii tüm Müslümanlar, kadınlar ve aileler için kapsayıcı bir alanı temsil etmekle beraber, modern toplumda çevre dostu, sürdürülebilir ve aynı zamanda sosyal yapıyla iç içe bir örnek teşkil etmektedir. Bu makale, 2019 yılında İngiltere'de "çevre dostu" sloganıyla ilk kez ortaya çıkan Cambridge Merkez Camii'ni örnek olay çalışması olarak kullanarak camilerin çağdaş toplumlarda İslami ve kültürel kimlikleri ifade etme açısından nasıl konumlandırıldığını araştırmaktadır. Mevcut çalışma öncelikle Cambridge Merkez Camii'nin mimari, sürdürülebilir ve sosyal yönlerini incelemeye odaklanmaktadır. Makale, caminin tasarım özelliğine değindikten sonra İngiliz Camii'nin işleyişi ve çok kültürlü yapısı açısından ne anlama geldiğini sorgulamaktadır.

Keywords

• Camii
• Mimari
• ingilizlik
• kultur
• toplum

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