5

Index

Abstract 03 Kurzfassung 04

INTRO 1 Introduction 07

1.1 Assignment 08 1.2 State of the Art 08 1.3 Target Groups 09 1.4 Objectives 09 1.5 Questions 10 1.6 Methodology 10 1.7 Structure 11 1.8 Briefing and Limitations 12 1.9 Abbreviations 14

2 Initial Foundations: Islamic and Theoretical Keystones 16

2.1 Islamic Perspectives 17

2.1.1 Meaning, Objectives, Faith and Worship 17 2.1.2 Approach to Humanity 20 2.1.3 Approach to Knowledge 23

2.2 Theoretical Basis 25 2.2.1 Socio-Semiotics, why? 25 2.2.2 The Saussurean Semiology 26 2.2.3 The Peircian Semiotics 28 2.2.4 Criticism: Barthes, Foucault, Baudrillard and Derrida 29 2.2.5 Socio-Semiotics Vs. Previous Critiques 31 2.2.6 The Model of Socio-Semiotics 32

2.3 Summary 33

CONTEXT

3 Muslims in Germany 34 3.1 Amount of Muslims living in Germany 35

3.1.1 Estimations before 2009 35 3.1.2 Results of MLD study 37

3.2 Muslims’ integration in Germany 42 3.3 Muslims’ attitude towards integration 45 3.4 Impressions of oppressions and marginalization 47 3.5 Summary 48

4 The German-Islam Relationship 50

4.1 A legacy of enmity, a threatening relationship 51

4.1.1 Benefits in Threat 55 4.1.2 Orientalism: the Selective Perception 55 4.1.3 Contested Coexistence 56 4.1.4 The DIK: Dialoguing or Dictating 57

4.2 An authentic amity, a cooperative relationship (9 phases) 59 4.3 Summary 85

6

DENOTATION

5 The Religious Significations of the Mosque-Sign 86

5.1 Why Akkach? 87 5.2 Symbolism in Islamic Geometry 88

5.2.1 The Discursive Cosmology 88 5.2.2 The Metaphysical Presence 91

5.3 Symbolism in Islamic Architecture 102 5.3.1 The Sacred Superiority 102 5.3.2 Sky and Human Value, the Dome 106 5.3.3 The Unity of Being, the Entity 108

5.4 The Ka’ba 114 5.5 Summary 118

CONNOTATION 6 The Non-Religious Significations of the Mosque-Sign in Islamic Countries 120

6.1 The Mosque, a Brief Introduction 121 6.2 El-Medina Mosque, the Prototype 121 6.3 The Mosque during the Islamic Empires 127

6.3.1 The Mosque during the Umayyad Dynasty 127 6.3.2 Generalization: Identity and Multi-functionality in the Mosque 136 6.3.3 Summary, a Socio-Semiotical formula 146

6.4 The Mosque after 1923, the Ideology-Mosque 148 6.5 Summary: the Mosque’s Non-Religious Connotations 157

7 The Non-Religious Significations of the Mosque-Sign in Diaspora 159

7.1 The mosque in diaspora 160

7.1.1 The Romantic mosque 160 7.1.2 The Identity-Mosque 162

7.2 The mosque in Germany 170 7.2.1 Non-Functional Mosques 170 7.2.2 Functional mosques 173 7.2.3 Hinterhofmoscheen 178 7.2.4 Representative Mosques 181

7.3 Summary: the Mosque in Diaspora and in Germany 191

CONCLUSION

8 the “German Mosque” 193

8.1 Briefing 194 8.2 Findings 194

8.2.1 Context Part 194 8.2.2 Denotation Part 195 8.2.3 Connotation Part 196

8.3 Recommendations 197 8.4 Statement & Future Research Areas 198

Illustrations Credits 200

Bibliography 211