Nomadic Mosque

What the conflicts over the newly planned mosques in countries such
as Slovenia, Austria, Germany, Italy, and the United States have in
common is the attitude that it is acceptable to build a new mosque, as
long as it does not look like one.  Notwithstanding the fact that
Muslim citizens in these countries have a legal right to build their
places of worship, such an understanding of the mosque as a specific
building type very much goes against its fluid architectural concept
and its multifaceted formal possibilities. While a lack of
understanding and knowledge is evident in such debates, the growing
public visibility of Muslims in Western Europe and the United States
conditions an increasing fear of and preoccupation with the “other.”
Ongoing debates over cultural and religious pluralism in the West also
reveal the xenophobic and orientalist thinking that often informs these
discussions. (excerpt from text Echo of Islam in the West: Reactions
to the Wearable Mosque) Azra Akšamija                  

The lecture / performance by Azra Akšamija will continue with the round table Who is Afraid of the Other, moderated by Lana Zdravković (Slovenia).

Organization: City of Women; In collaboration with: SRC SASA;
Supported by: Austrian Cultural Forum - Ljubljana.