This evolving collection turns the spotlight on spaces that European Muslims have created for themselves since the beginning of the 20th century: mosques, cultural centers, cemeteries, and even interfaith centers. Because the collection focuses on material manifestations of the interaction between Western European and minority, Muslim communities since the beginning of the 20th-century, we have limited the scope of this collection to those modern nations that the Publications Office of the European Union classifies as "Northern," "Southern," and "Western" European, excluding those that are classified as "Central and Eastern" European and those in which Muslims make up the majority of the population.
Our decision not to include sites in these areas should not be considered to imply a prescriptive definition of what it means to be either "Muslim" or "European." Both terms denote extraordinarily heterogenous populations and cultures. Moreover, neither has a fixed meaning. Nor do we wish to imply that the traditions subsumed in these two bulky terms are necessarily oppositional. For centuries there have been Muslim Europeans as well as European Muslims. The distinction we have made is strictly utilitarian for the purposes of this collection.
We simply invite you to view and think about the structures realized by Muslims communities in those parts of Europe where Islamic and even Orthodox Christian architectural traditions are generally considered to be foreign or "Other."
This collection is a companion to the Mosques of North America collection. In both cases, the collections are works in progress, and neither is fully representative. We invite your contributions to and comments on both collections.
--Michael A. Toler, Archnet Digital Librarian
28 August 2023
