icma user – 155 - International Conference on Mosque Architecture

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Researcher Details

Scientific Papers Abstract Submission

Theme

1st Track

Role/Contribution

An attempt to understand the role of colonialism in mosque architecture

Research paper Title

The Mosque And The Conflict In Palestine

Personal Biography

A Palestinian architect who obtained a Turkish scholarship for his master's and doctorate degrees from Mimar Sinan University in Istanbul in the study of architecture, power and colonialism, which are the fields that the researcher is interested in and seeks to analyze in the Palestinian architectural context. He is currently an assistant professor in the Department of Architecture at the Arab American University.

Paper Abstract

Building a mosque is considered a sign of stability, constancy and the beginning of urban growth for the Islamic city. Whenever the urban area expands, an additional mosque or prayer hall is built to serve the residents of the city or new neighborhood. This is a tradition of the Prophet Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, who built a mosque in Medina upon entering it. Therefore, the mosque is, in a way, a sign of the religion to which the city belongs and a manifestation of the city’s identity as soon as it is seen from afar. This matter appeared early through the construction of Omar bin Al-Khattab and after him the Umayyads by adding important architectural elements within the borders of Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to express the new identity of the city of Jerusalem. It is a historical struggle since the beginning of humanity until today, as everyone seeks to confirm the reference of their cities and neighborhoods and to demonstrate their identity and belonging to them. This identity conflict is still clearly present in occupied Palestine, and the religious, national, cultural and social symbolism of the mosque is one of the most important reasons for putting it under analysis and study. Many mosques are still abandoned, besieged, isolated, and limited to specific times of use, and are clearly attacked by the Israelis through verbal signs written on the walls of the mosques. The architectural importance of mosques in the West Bank is evident through their architectural and urban role in establishing the Arab and Islamic identity of the Palestinian city in contrast to the settlements that have invaded the mountaintops in the West Bank. Mosques still have a clear role in preserving the Islamic and Arab images of the city, enhancing its steadfastness, and preserving the city’s status. It is an architectural conflict between a local Palestinian Arab Islamic style and an alien Western style of settlement throughout the West Bank. This article analyzes Palestinian cities from the perspective of their mosques and their role in the conflict through analyzing a group of some mosques in Palestinian cities and villages that stand face to face with Western colonial cities. Hence, the importance of this article appears, which will depend on the analysis of phenomena and the understanding of the philosophical, cultural, social, religious and architectural concepts behind this architectural conflict with Palestinian cities, in which mosques are considered the spearhead.

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Works Documentation

Full Paper Title

The Mosque And The Conflict In Palestine

Full paper

https://icmamosques.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/full-article-The-Mosque-And-The-Conflict-In-Palestine.pdf,https://icmamosques.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/full-article-The-Mosque-And-The-Conflict-In-Palestine.docx

Reference

• Sunan Ibn Majah 753, Book 4, Hadith 19, Vol. 1, https://sunnah.com/ibnmajah:753
• Mishkat al-Masabih 5863, Book 29, Hadith 121, https://sunnah.com/mishkat:5863
• Mohsen Mohammad Saleh,2023, The Road to Jerusalem: A Historical Study of the Islamic Experience in the Land of Palestine From the Time of the Prophets to the 21st Century, ISBN: 978-614-494-042-6, https://www.alzaytouna.net/english/books/Book_Road_Jerusalem_EE2023-E/Book_Road_Jerusalem-EE2023_Eng.pdf
• Said, Edward W. 1979, The Question of Palestine. New York: Vintage Books.
• Said, Edward W. 1979, Orientalism. Pantheon Books
• Golan A, 1999, “Zionism, urbanism, and the 1948 wartime transformation of the Arab urban system in Palestine” Historical Geography 27 152–166
• Lundsteen, M. (2020). Conflicts in and around Space: Reflections on ‘Mosque Conflicts’. Journal of Muslims in Europe, 9(1), 43-63. https://doi.org/10.1163/22117954-12341410
• Luz, N. (2008). The Politics of Sacred Places: Palestinian Identity, Collective Memory, and Resistance in the Hassan Bek Mosque Conflict. Environment and Planning D: Society and Space, 26(6), 1036-1052. https://doi.org/10.1068/d2508 (Original work published 2008)
• Shavit Y, Biger G, 2001The History of Tel Aviv: From Neighborhoods to City (1909 ^ 1936) (Ramot, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv)
• Law-Yone H, Kallus R, 2001, “The dynamics of ethnic segregation in Israel”, in The Power of Planning. Spaces of Control and Transformation Eds Yiftachel O, Little J, Hedgcock D, Alexander I, (Kluwer, Boston, MA) pp 171–188
• Yiftachel, O. (1992). Planning a Mixed Region in Israel: The Political Geography of Arab-Jewish Relations in the Galilee. Avebury.
• Nedal Eshtayah,2025, Nasser Mosque raided and set on fire by Israeli forces in Nablus, West Bank on March 07, 2025. Available at https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20250307-israeli-forces-set-fire-to-nablus-mosque-stop-dawn-prayers/ (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Aljazeera, 2011 , Israeli settlers ‘desecrate’ West Bank mosque, Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/6/7/israeli-settlers-desecrate-west-bank-mosque (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Joey Watson and Stan Correy, 2024. Available at: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-08-24/denis-rohan-and-the-al-aqsa-mosque-50-years/11429332 (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Michael Jacobson, 2023, A tour of the mosque that became a synagogue in Nes Ziona, A tour of the mosque that became a synagogue in Nes Ziona | Rear Window (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Minaret of the Suwayka Mosque, 2020, city market, Safed, Israel, https://www.islamicarchitecturalheritage.com/listings/the-minaret-of-sheikh-issa-mosque-as-suwayqa-mosque (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Aljazeera, 2011, Israeli settlers burn West Bank mosque , Available at: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2011/9/5/israeli-settlers-burn-west-bank-mosque (Accessed: 30 June 2025)
• Ruba Kana’an. (2001). Waqf, Architecture, and Political Self-Fashioning: The Construction of the Great Mosque of Jaffa by Muhammad Aga Abu Nabbut. Muqarnas, 18, 120–140. https://doi.org/10.2307/1523304

Welcome to your account

Researcher Details

Scientific Papers Abstract Submission

Theme

Role/Contribution

Research paper Title

Personal Biography

Paper Abstract

Paper Abstract file

Photo Submission

Works Documentation

Full Paper Title

Full paper

Reference

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