ar_malik's
recent reviews |
| Istiqamah Islamic Centre of Ontario: ★★ Istiqamah began with a bang in the late 1990s. Run by a young, decidedly (how to say this delicately) salafi organising committee, it was neo-hanbalism for the 21st century - active, education oriented, generally clean and functional. Alas, the "community" of young energetic folk has dwindled over the years (now graduated and profession with less time for mosques) and the resident Sheikh dissapeared for a while and has (kind of) reappeared recently. The khutbahs used to be known for a kind of raw directness that appealed to the young and agitated. Guffaws would puntuate the sermon (only to be silenced as inappropriate) when comments like, "if you are going to fornicate, why go halfway? A haram is a haram, so you might as well have done it with Lady Diana" were the order of the day. The mosque used to be packed, very male - a small women's section sufficed for the brave sisters. Overall a valiant effort gone awry. (Submitted on June 28, 2005) |
| Dar al Islam Mosque: ★★★★★ Dar al Islam is without a doubt the most beautiful mosque in America - and by beauty I just mean not physically. It's adobe brick architecture and perfect proportions designed by the saintly Egyptian architect Hassan Fathy (on the architectural geniuses of the 20th century who founded the "arhcitecture for the poor" school based on Islamic and traditional design principles) is remarkable. The story behind its construction borders on miraculous. Inside it is form meets function - cool, beautiful, peaceful, it is a true house of God. Praying, doing dhikr, raising one's voice in praise of Allah and His Messenger takes on an otherworldly quality. I have lived in the complex for several weeks at a time and I found that Dar al Islam give to those who are in it. The surrounding mesa changes as the days changes into night and there is few experiences that match praying fajr in the main mosque while the rising sun and star compete for supremacy of the night's sky. Make it a holiday destination! Visit it at any costs? It is a gift to the America's and the great legacy of a once visionary local community and architect who built so people could live. (Submitted on June 28, 2005) |
| The Islamic Center of New Mexico: ★ There is this tension I have when reviewing mosques. Inside there may be beneficial activities and programs (after all it is a place of prayer) but the building itself lets down what goes on inside and lets down how you perceive it from outside. Before I ever saw this mosque, I had heard about it from one of its founders who praised its "bold", "modern", "creative" design. You name the superlatives - they were used. Upon visiting it for the first time - it was Maghrib and I was staying in a hotel down the street - I walked by it not once, not twice, but three times, before a rather hidden sign indicated that the strange white building, blackened by years of soot and dirt (uncleaned, of course) that kind of sat in the ground was the mosque. It was locked. I waited and waited and nothing happened - no one came. So let us leave aside the internal dynamics etc. The building, so praised for it bold style, looks nothing like a mosque at all. It is an alien building that fits into nothing - it is an unmitigated, architectural disaster. Don't let the picture above fool you - it merely indicates that the community has realised that they need a new building and Allah help them raise the money as fast as they can. The original building lacks any redeemable design qualities. It has strange, chimney like turrets and terraced, steppe like levels that communicate nothing. It is self-indulgent, modernist architecture at its worst. Sorry, but its true. So sad it is a House of God. (Submitted on June 28, 2005) |
| London Central Mosque: ★★ Regent's Park Mosque is worth visiting only because it has a unique history and has an important place in the history of British Islam. Go there to pray, especially jummah, because you will get a taste of the incredible diversity of London Muslims. The khutbahs (in Arabic and sometimes translated into English) are occasionally interesting, but the people you will meet will make up for these deficiences. If you go on a summer's evening and the large side doors of the main hall are opened, the cool breeze will make the place seem downright idyllic. That's the good part. The sad part is that architecturally, it is one of the most uninspired Islamic building ever built. It has little architectural creativity. It's concrete construction makes it feel like a building site and the colours (grey upon grey) are enough to induce malaise in the soul. The staff are often gruff and on many an occasion I have seen non-Muslim guests (and those not properly attired) told off in a rather rude and abrupt way. It is quite sad considering that this is London's central mosque that greater thought was not given to design. Perhaps it is a curse of 1970s modernism, but those who attended the mosque in the 1960s and eary 70s, when it was a large mansion, say that they wish the building had never been built (at least in this way. Nevertheless, it is a house of God, so go, but don't go with expectations. (Submitted on June 24, 2005) |
ar_malik has written 4 reviews. |
