The British Mosque: An Architectural and Social History

The British Mosque describes the evolution of Britain’s Muslim communities through the buildings they have built. As the first comprehensive survey of the mosque in Britain, the book guides us from the earliest examples of mosques converted from houses in the nineteenth century, to the first purpose-built mosques at the end of that century, to the mosques being built in the country today. Shahed Saleem explains key architectural stages alongside the history of Muslim settlement and growth, focusing on the way in which the mosque as a new cultural and architectural form has adapted into the existing urban landscape. As a social history, The British Mosque offers a fresh take on how the character of British Muslim life and practice has been embodied through its buildings, and considers how the future of Islamic architecture in Britain will be affected by the growing cultural and social diversification of Britain’s Muslim communities.