Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque

Last updated
مسجد ابن رشد - جوته
Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque
Ibn-Rushd-Goethe-Moschee
Johanniskirche B-Moabit 06-2017.jpg
The mosque was located in a part of the building of the Johanniskirche in Berlin-Moabit between June 2017 and October 2020 before it was relocated.
Religion
Affiliation Islam
Branch/tradition Liberal Islam
District Mitte
Location
Municipality Berlin
StateBerlin
CountryGermany
Geographic coordinates 52°31′33″N13°20′7″E / 52.52583°N 13.33528°E / 52.52583; 13.33528
Architecture
Date establishedJune 16, 2017 (2017-06-16)
Website
www.ibn-rushd-goethe-moschee.de

The Ibn Rushd-Goethe Mosque (German : Ibn-Rushd-Goethe-Moschee) is the only self-described liberal mosque in Germany. It was inaugurated in June 2017, and is named after medieval Andalusian-Arabic polymath Ibn Rushd and German writer and statesman Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. The mosque was founded by Seyran Ateş, a German lawyer and Muslim feminist of Kurdish descent. [1] The mosque is characterised as liberal; it bans face-covering, it allows women and men to pray together, and it accepts LGBT worshippers.

Contents

Background

The mosque is open to Sunni, Shia and other Muslims. Full-face veils as burqas or niqabs are not allowed. Men and women pray together in the mosque and women are not obligated to wear a headscarf. Furthermore, gay and lesbian Muslims are allowed to enter the mosque and can pray as well. It is the first mosque of its kind in Germany and one of the first in Europe as well as the entire world. [2] [3] [4]

Founder Seyran Ateş said "We need a historical-critical exegesis of the Quran" and "A scripture from the 7th century one may not and cannot take literally. We stand for a reading of the Quran which is oriented to mercifulness, love of God and most of all to peace". [5] The mosque is a "place for all those people who do not meet the rules and regulations of conservative Muslims". [6]

History

The mosque was founded by Seyran Ateş, a German lawyer and feminist of Turkish and Kurdish descent, on 16 June 2017. [7] It was named after the Andalusian-Arabic polymath Ibn Rushd (also known as Averroes) and the German writer and statesman Goethe. [8]

Ateş told news magazine Der Spiegel that “no one will be let in with a niqab or burqa veil. This is for security reasons and also it is our belief that full-face veils have nothing to do with religion, but rather are a political statement.” She told the journalists that she was inspired by Wolfgang Schäuble, the German Minister of Finance, who told her that liberal Muslims should band together. [9] [10]

In July 2022, the mosque became the first in Germany to raise a rainbow flag, in support of the LGBT community. [11] [12]

Reactions

Following massive threats after the opening, the founders of the mosque commented on the immense intimidation that liberal Muslims faced. They asked for tolerance and respect with regard to their reading of the Quran. [13] The personal security for founder Ateş had to be increased significantly after evaluation by the State Criminal Police Office of Berlin. In July 2017, Ateş, reported that she had received about 100 death threats since the mosque's opening. [14]

Turkish mass media displayed the Rushd-Goethe mosque as part of the Gülen movement, a claim denied by Ercan Karakoyun, chairman of the Gülen-affiliated foundation in Germany Stiftung Dialog und Bildung. [15] The claim has also been denied by the mosque itself. [16] Turkish media have been critical, and Ateş has been at the receiving end of threats and hostility, both from radical and enemies and critics of Islam, both in Germany and abroad. [17]

The fatwa institution in Egypt, the Egyptian Fatwa Council at the Al-Azhar University, labelled the mosque an attack on Islam, [18] and a fatwa against the mosque was declared. [8] The Turkish religious authority and the Egyptian authority condemned her project and she has received death threats. [19] [8] The fatwa encompassed all present and future liberal mosques. The Al-Azhar University is opposed to liberal reform of Islam and issued the fatwa because of the mosque's ban on face-covering veils such as burqa and niqab on its premises, allowing women and men to pray together and accepting homosexuals. [8]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burqa</span> Garment worn by some Muslim women

As a chadaree or chaadar in Afghanistan, or a paranja in Central Asia, the Arab version of the burqa is called the boshiya and is usually black. The term burqa is sometimes conflated with the niqāb even though, in more precise usage, the niqab is a face veil that leaves the eyes uncovered, while a burqa covers the entire body from the top of the head to the ground, with a mesh screen which only allows the wearer to see in front of her.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Germany</span>

Islam's significance in Germany has largely increased after the labour migration in the 1960s and several waves of political refugees since the 1970s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic clothing</span> Customs of clothing associated with Islam

Islamic clothing is clothing that is interpreted as being in accordance with the teachings of Islam. Muslims wear a wide variety of clothing, which is influenced not only by religious considerations, but also by practical, cultural, social, and political factors. In modern times, some Muslims have adopted clothing based on Western traditions, while others wear modern forms of traditional Muslim dress, which over the centuries has typically included long, flowing garments. Besides its practical advantages in the climate of the Middle East, loose-fitting clothing is also generally regarded as conforming to Islamic teachings, which stipulate that body areas which are sexual in nature must be hidden from public view. Traditional dress for Muslim men has typically covered at least the head and the area between the waist and the knees, while women's islamic dress is to conceal the hair and the body from the ankles to the neck. Some Muslim women also cover their face. However, other Muslims believe that the Quran strictly mandate that women need to wear a hijab or a burqa.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Niqāb</span> Face-covering womens garment in Muslim societies

A niqāb or niqaab, also known as a ruband, is a long garment worn by some Muslim women in order to cover their entire body and face, excluding their eyes. It is an interpretation in Islam of the concept of hijab, and is worn in public and in all other places where a woman may encounter non-mahram men. Most prevalent in the Arabian Peninsula, the niqab is a controversial clothing item in many parts of the world, including in some Muslim-majority countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Abdalqadir as-Sufi</span> Scottish Islamic scholar (1930–2021)

Abdalqadir as-Sufi was a Scottish Muslim leader and author. He was Shaykh of Instruction, leader of the Darqawi-Shadhili-Qadiri Tariqa, founder of the Murabitun World Movement and author of numerous books on Islam, Sufism and political theory. Born in Scotland, he was a playwright and actor before he converted to Islam in 1967 with the Imam of the Qarawiyyin Mosque in Fez, Morocco.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Presidency of Religious Affairs</span> Turkish state institution for religious affairs

The Presidency of Religious Affairs is a state institution established in 1924 by the orders of Mustafa Kemal Atatürk under article 136 of the constitution of Turkey to carry out some of the administrative duties previously managed by the Shaykh al-Islām, during the Ottoman Empire. The President of the Directorate of Religious Affairs is considered the Grand Mufti of Turkey.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Austria</span>

Islam in Austria is the largest minority religion in the country, practiced by 7.9% of the total population in 2016 according to the Austrian Academy of Sciences. The majority of Muslims in Austria belong to the Sunni denomination. Most Muslims came to Austria during the 1960s as migrant workers from Turkey and Yugoslavia. There are also communities of Arab and Afghan origin.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islam in Norway</span>

Islam is the second largest religion in Norway after Christianity. As of 2020, the number of Muslims living in Norway was 182,607. The majority of Muslims in Norway are Sunni, with a significant Shia minority. 55 percent of Muslims in the country live in Oslo and Viken. The vast majority of Muslims have an immigrant background, and very few Norwegians are Muslim.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seyran Ateş</span> German lawyer and Muslim feminist

Seyran Ateş is a German lawyer and a Muslim feminist. She founded the Ibn Ruschd-Goethe mosque in 2017, as Germany's first liberal place of worship for Muslims. Ateş is best known for challenging conventional ideas in Islamic teaching by opening a mosque in Berlin which breaks with traditionalist precepts of what being a Muslim means.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">British debate over veils</span>

The British debate over veils began in October 2006 when the MP and government minister Jack Straw wrote in his local newspaper, the Lancashire Evening Telegraph, that, while he did not want to be "prescriptive", he preferred talking to women who did not wear a niqab as he could see their face, and asked women who were wearing such items to remove them when they spoke to him, making clear that they could decline his request and that a female member of staff was in the room.

Hijab and burka controversies in Europe revolve around the variety of headdresses worn by Muslim women, which have become prominent symbols of the presence of Islam in especially Western Europe. In several countries, the adherence to hijab has led to political controversies and proposals for a legal partial or full ban in some or all circumstances. Some countries already have laws banning the wearing of masks in public, which can be applied to veils that conceal the face. Other countries are debating similar legislation, or have more limited prohibitions. Some of them apply only to face-covering clothing such as the burqa, boushiya, or niqab; some apply to any clothing with an Islamic religious symbolism such as the khimar, a type of headscarf. The issue has different names in different countries, and "the veil" or hijab may be used as general terms for the debate, representing more than just the veil itself, or the concept of modesty embodied in Hijab.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Necla Kelek</span> Turco-German feminist and social scientist

Necla Kelek is a Turkish-born German feminist and social scientist, holding a doctorate in this field, originally from Turkey. She gave lectures on migration sociology at the Evangelische Fachhochschule für Sozialpädagogik in Hamburg from 1999 until 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Islamic veiling practices by country</span>

Various styles of head coverings, most notably the khimar, hijab, chador, niqab, paranja, yashmak, tudong, shayla, safseri, carşaf, haik, dupatta, boshiya and burqa, are worn by Muslim women around the world, where the practice varies from mandatory to optional or restricted in different majority Muslim and non-Muslim countries.

The French ban on face covering is the result of an act of parliament passed in 2010 banning the wearing of face-covering headgear, including masks, helmets, balaclavas, niqābs and other veils covering the face, and full body costumes and zentais in public places, except under specified circumstances. This ban does not apply to the hijab, as it does not cover the face. The ban does apply to the burqa, a full-body covering, if it covers the face. In April 2011, France became the first European country to impose a ban on full-face veils in public areas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's mosques</span> Women-led or women-only mosque

Women's mosques exist around the world, with a particularly rich tradition in China. As Islam has principles of segregating the sexes at times, many places of worship provide a dedicated prayer space for women within the main building, but in a few countries, separate buildings were constructed. In some cases, women were allowed to become imams.

This is a list of individual liberal and progressive Islamic movements in Europe, sorted by country. See also Islam in Europe and Euroislam.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kritische Islamkonferenz</span>

The Kritische Islamkonferenz or KIK is an irregular organised event in Germany, which was conceived to be the critical counterpart to the Deutsche Islamkonferenz. Its first edition took place in 2008 in Cologne, where it was co-hosted by the Central Council of Ex-Muslims and the Giordano Bruno Foundation. The second edition was held in Berlin in 2013.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Burqa by country</span> Legal situation of wearing a burqa in different countries

The burqa is worn by women in various countries. Some countries have banned it in government offices, schools, or in public places and streets.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Al-Azhar al-Sharif</span> Islamic scientific body

Al-Azhar al-Sharif is an Islamic scientific body and the largest religious institution in Egypt. Its headquarters is located in the building of the Sheikhdom of Al-Azhar in the center of the Egyptian capital, Cairo. The history of the establishment of the Al-Azhar Mosque dates back to the year 970 by the Fatimid Caliph Al-Muizz Li-Din Allah. It is considered the third oldest university in the world after Al-Zaytoonah and Al-Qarawiyyin universities.

References

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  11. Welle (www.dw.com), Deutsche. "Berlin mosque flies rainbow flag in support of LGBTQ community | DW | 01.07.2022". DW.COM. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
  12. "Berlin mosque becomes 'first in Germany' to fly LGBTQ+ Pride flag". GAY TIMES. 2022-07-06. Retrieved 2022-07-27.
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  16. tagesschau.de. "Diyanet wettert gegen neue Berliner Moschee". tagesschau.de (in German). Retrieved 2017-06-22.
  17. Germany, SPIEGEL ONLINE, Hamburg (20 June 2017). "Berlin: Türkische Medien hetzen gegen liberale Moschee von Seyran Ates - Spiegel Online - Politik". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2017-06-20.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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Further reading