Introduction Of Woman Reverts To Islam Into Rituals And Practice Of Prayer Through Architecture Within The New Zealand Context

Abstract

Islam is one of the fastest growing religions in NZ, with over 1000 reverts in the last 20 years and of those, more than a quarter of those who identified as were Maori according to the 2013 census data. Although there are many mosques and community centers that accommodate and welcome these newly reverts there is nothing that truly symbolizes the true New Zealand culture like a marae would. This can be attributed to how a majority of mosques have been historically been set up by ethnic Gujarati Indian and more recently Fijian Indians. The functions of a mosque and a marae are exactly the same in the sense of prayer, reflection and communal gathering. There are differences however, specifically in how woman are represent. As many mosques are inherently reflect regions such as Turkey and the Middle East, there is no sense of it being reflected back to New Zealand. Much like how Christians embedded Maori design principles in churches throughout New Zealand, can Muslims do the same?

Outline Of The Project

Islam is the world’s second largest religion with over 1. 8 Billion followers which makes up of 50 countries including New Zealand. It is an Abrahamic Monotheistic religion that believes one god (Allah) and that Muhammad (pbuh) is the messenger of god. lslam educates people that god is the most powerful and merciful and the Quran is the primary scripture of Islam. Most Muslims are of one of the two communions; either Shia or Sunni. There are some differences between Shias and Sunnis, specifically around ritual and belief. This research will reference the Sunni belief around the 5 pillars of Islam and architecture. Muslims are required tofollow the sacred pillars of Islam which include daily prayers five times a day, fasting during Ramadan and the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca once in their life time and charity. Mosques embody the pillars of Islam by providing services like prayer, place to donate and a place to break your fast during the month of Ramadan. In this project I will incorporate the 5 pillars of Islam, as it is compulsory for a practicing Muslim to adhere to these customs.

In New Zealand most mosques are male dominated due to the Indian subcontinent specific cultural practices. It prescribes to a practice that woman are not required to visit mosque, while men are encouraged to go pray in congregation. This is reflected through the size of a prayer hall dedicated to each gender, normally the male portion is always larger and than the women’s prayer hall and in some mosques women don’t get a prayer hall but are offered a smaller room or building that doesn’t match the prestige of the male’s prayer hall. By giving women a desirable and visually appealing place of worship I hope to encourage Muslim women to find solace amongst her fellow Muslim sisters. This research aims to build a community center, which has all the facilities a mosque offers, but for women as there aren’t many mosques or buildings in New Zealand that are desirable for woman to congregate, learn and practice for the faith. There is a college in South Auckland (Zayed College), which is a school for Muslim girls. Like other high schools, Zayed College teaches every curricular subject but also encourages the 5 pillars of Islam by dedicating time to pray, having a subject that educates the teaching of the Quran, providing food for the students during Ramadan and regularly having events to raise funds for charity and the school. Because this community center will be built in New Zealand I plan on implementing traditional Maori designs to reflect this countries indigenous culture and to potentially open up the community to curious outsiders who are interested in the teachings of Islam.

Research Question

How can woman reverts to Islam be better introduced to rituals and practice of prayer through architecture within the New Zealand context?SUB TOPIC-What similarities that the many Islamic cultures – Indian, Arab, Malaysian etc. have with Maori cultures?-What are the conflicts and similarities between Islamic and Maori architecture and what can be taken forward?

Scope And Limitations Of The Project

The aim of this project is to accommodate the Female Muslim community with a facility that is more accommodating and represents the native culture. New Zealand positions itself as a bicultural society and has welcomed other cultures by having monuments such as mosques, temples and churches. Whilst New Zealand is the native countries for Maoris, Maori’s feel as if there aren’t many cultural symbols or an iconic architectural structures that truly represents their country especially in Auckland where that many people New Zealanders are becoming strongly attached to Maori traditions, culture, etc in their life. There is also the issue of cultural appropriation/theft. “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission. This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive. ” There have been many complaints about New Zealanders taking Maori symbols and just stamping it on non-authentic products or randomly on buildings without any symbolism.

A lot of non-maori architects and artists are using Maori narratives and bodies in their work without realizing its true representation. An example would be the new Pacifica building that is being built in Brittomart. They specify “Location and culture are central to the architectural culture of the Pacifica”. On the building they have slapped on a “contemporary koru” with no cultural reasoning purely because its “Maori culture”. This is essential to this research paper as I will be incorporating Maori design principles when appropriate into any building scheme. and I would need make sure that I have extensive knowledge and background of the tribal designs as I cant just stamp or incorporate any random design into my structure as it could offend or upset people. Ideas that could help manage this with my research could be through the craft of teaching or making which is a skill both cultures have in common. My research needs to respect Maori culture to avoid cultural appropriation. Saying this this research will also need to consider the fact that some aspects within the Maori culture are haram (prohibited) in Islam e. g. tattoos, traditional clothing, the telling of stories through song and dance etc.

State Of Knowledge In Fieldlitreature Review

We begin this literature review by discussing the basic Islamic laws and virtues; specifically morality in Islam. Morality in Islam is a phrase used to define the concept of righteousness, good character, and the association of moral qualities and virtues advised in Islamic religious texts and it is a basic yet important principal of Islam which is also written in the Quran. The Quran and hadith often talk about empathetic manners for Muslims to implement good character. The most important idea of Islamic virtue is that of love; love for god and for god’s creations. By acquiring and practicing these moral qualities this will please god and mankind would be treated in the best possible manner. Showing kindness, charity, helping people, forgiving others, respect, patience, modesty, maintain justice, honesty are insisted values in Islam’s notion of morality. In other words, they must not only be morally healthy, but must also contribute to the moral health of society as a whole. These values are reflected in the architecture of most mosques. A small aspect would be the geometry in the interiors. Circles represent infinity to remind Muslims Allah is infinite and the complex geometries are an unending repetition, which also expresses infinite nature.

The use of patterns is how Islamic ornamentation represents nature and objects by their spiritual qualities, not their physical and material qualities. This shows that appearance isn’t important and is subsequent to the metaphysical spiritual and ethical factors. Rapoports chart on “Influences on Islamic values on architecture” he demonstrates that values make a lifestyle and activity system. Muslim architects conduct the design practices from these activity systems while creating new design processes using a systematic approach to construct with the Islamic values. In the Quran men and women are spiritual equals; "If any do deeds of righteousness be they male or female and have faith, they will enter Heaven, and not the least injustice will be done to them. " Gender roles for women aren’t specified in the Quran but in Islamic practice, gender roles become visible themselves due to men and women being given different rights and having different cultural expectations for example clothing. Women are expected to be modest and covered up where as men only have to cover up above their knees to the elbow.

In some New Zealand mosques equality hasn’t been reflected in many of the laws. For example in The Otahuhu mosque the men’s prayer hall is much grander compared to the women’s prayer hall, another example the Avondale Islamic center the men’s get a prayer hall dedicated to them where as the women get a smaller building with multiple purposes. Then again these mosques were built before proper woman prayer halls were established in New Zealand. Ponsonby mosque has an established woman’s prayer hall, which was a dedicated/design specific place for woman. The five obligatory rituals of Islam and responsibility in faith are supposed to be followed by both men and women but scholars like Shampa and Sanjoy Mazumdar believe that women, which can be argued, have domesticated these rituals. In a Muslim women’s daily life there are many rituals she needs to follow and also display. Muslim women become custodians of their faith by praying on behalf of their husbands or children making up with their own religiosity the laxity of other family members argue ferna and ferna. This is not a women’s role, her role is to educate the family and pass on teachings for example Islamic hygiene, dietary requirements, praying, fasting, modesty and festivals and ceremonies like Friday prayers and Eid.

These are also rituals that can be followed individually beyond the home. This women’s community center will look at teaching, community learning, counseling etc. It will require spaces for educating, eating, private counseling rooms, prayer room, services, place for wudu, space to socialize, and lecture rooms. In summary most of the functionalities a mosque embodies plus more. The functions of a mosque and a marae are exactly the same. They both are the heart of the Maori/Islamic culture; where people come together and attend congregational prayers with strengthens the bond between them. In terms of design principals there are many differences. Firstly Maori carvings consist of ancestral faces and in Islam one cannot perform prayer in front of images of faces. Secondly in a wharenui men and women can be together however in a mosque men and women are separated.

With the differences there are also some similarities like the craft of making, also the reciting off prayer through Waita for Maoris and Milads for Muslims. With the Maori culture there are narratives that can be expressed without carved faces, they can be expressed through korus and tribal designs, which would be acceptable for Muslims to perform prayers in front of. An example would be the use of colour. The main Maori colours that are used in tribal designs are red and black. In this building that could the main colour pallet. Paua is also admired and sacred in Maori art. These are both aspects that can be implanted in the design. Considering there are many tribes in New Zealand this research would focus on incorporating one of the first tribes to arrive in New Zealand to express New Zealand’s real roots and identity. This community center looks to empower woman of any ethnicity whether Indian, Maori or European. This is more than a mosque, more then a home, more then a community center. This is to celebrate women of all ethnicities and celebrate women in Islam in New Zealand.

Precedents

Jamia Masjid Al-Mustafa Jamia Masjid Al-Mustafa is a popular mosque in South Auckland. It is located on 25 Mangere Road, Otahuhu. In addition to providing Islamic education to children, the aim of Al Farooq is to administer da’wah work and to promote and propagate the social, economic and religious wellbeing of Muslims. The site was purchased some with donations from Muslims families mostly from New Zealand and abroad. The complex has an area of around 4000 square meters comprises of two halls used as classrooms, prayer hall, kitchen and ablution facilities. It also has a residence on it and is utilized to accommodate the Imam (priest) and their families, which is present at most mosques. Arabic classes are held every night from Monday-Friday, which is open to everyone to teach the basic fundamentals of the religion ie the Quran, prayer, the values and rituals.

There is also an event held on the first Saturday of every month for people who can’t make it in the weekdays for lessons where a meal is also provided. This is beneficial to my research because this mosque is one of the biggest mosques of Auckland, which carries most the qualities, functions and important spaces a mosque needs. The main Qualities this mosque contains are: -Sahn (courtyard) – The courtyard is supposed to be able to hold the entire male population but because this mosque is not specifically a jummah mosque it does not do this. But the space dedicated to the prayer is very generous as there is space inside and outside the mosque for prayers. This is the most important part of the mosque. Ponsonby Mosque was one of the first mosques to have New Zealand wide congregations, after it was the Mt Roskill mosque then the Airport Mosque. -A Fountain – Historically, mosques have used fountain for the purpose of abolition before prayer. Today, it has become less sophisticated due to modern plumbing systems. Places such as India still use fountains for abolition. -Muhrab – This signifies the direction of mecca, which is the direction Muslims pray towards. - Minaret tower – This is the most detectable characteristic of the mosque where the prayer call is announced- it’s a feature which the imam uses however, this isn’t necessary. Apart from aesthetics they have no relevance as New Zealand cannot have prayer called out in the same way as Islamic countries. -Qublia –Qibla wall. Domes – not a necessary feature - This is also a symbolic exemplification as the “Vault of Heaven”. They didn’t have domes for the first mosques in Islam. Rangitea ChurchBased in Otaki, the Rangitea church was the oldest Maori Anglican church in New Zealand till it was burnt down in 1995.

It was then rebuilt by 2003. The church was built under direction from Te rauparha and English missionary octavous hadfield. This church is beneficial to my research because it incorporates both English and Maori church design with Christianity values and reflects that different cultures and religions can be merged as one successfully without conflicting. From the exterior the structure looks like any old white wooden church but on the inside is where the Maori tradition comes alive. The ridgepole in the church, which was made from a single totara tree, it represents the belief of “one true Christian god” and the 3 central pillars are to symbolize holt trinity. Power and prestige is represented on the rafters through the mangopore (hammerhead shark) and the walls tukutuke (woven flax) panels represent the purapura whetu that is the star seedling pattern based on the Milky Way. The Woman’s Mosque of AmericaOpened in January 30th 2015, the women’s mosque of America is based in Los Angeles and is the first female only mosque in the United States. A preacher named Edina Lekovic delivers the Jummah (Friday Prayer) and khutbah every once a month for women and children under the age of 12. Women are also not expected to wear a hijab at the mosque.

The facility also provides programming, events, prayer hall and classes. Their goal is to inspire the Muslim women community by empowering and inspiring them through a more honest access to Islamic scholarships and leadership opportunities. It supplements other mosques by offering women to grow, learn, and gain vision to influence other fellow Muslim brothers and sisters. This is advantageous to my research as this paper is aiming to build a women’s community similar to the Woman’s Mosque of America but with more facilities ie services like kitchens, more classrooms etc. The emphasis on it being a female only mosque finally gives Muslim women in New Zealand a place for private worship amongst their own community.

Approach To Design

With the information and understanding provided in the literature review is how I will approach my design. The first approach would be to examine is what are the common and essential features and rituals that make a mosque. I will also need to examine how I would merge the Islamic values with Maori architecture without the two conflicting through building typology. From this we will be able to save ourselves from doing anything that is culturally and religiously insensitive to the Islamic values or the Maori culture, afterward we will be able to identify the tectonics (composition to structure and detail) that this community center will need. The building and tectonic typologies will be my primary typology as in shown in my precedents; The Jamia Masjid Al-Musatfa masjids and womans mosque in americas function and the Rangitea churchs intricate meaningful ornamentation in the interiors. In terms of topography (site) there hasn’t been a specific site assigned to this project as yet, but what I would be looking for in a site would be in Auckland and preferably close to services so women would be able to come on their breaks for prayers, also it would be idea to have flat land.