What is Religion
Today, religion can be used as a ‘weapon’ promote coexistence. Mr Walid Jumblatt built the Amir Shakib Arslan mosque in the Chouf Mountains of Mukhtara, Lebanon to highlight the links between the Druze faith (an offshoot of Shiite Islam) and other Islamic branches and to promote religious tolerance. Unlike other mosques, the Amir Shakib Arslan mosque does not have a traditional domed roof. Instead, a cage-like structure of white steel beams sits over an existing traditional Lebanese stone building like a ‘veil’. The white blades of the structure are arranged so that the words ‘Allah’ (God), and ‘Al Insan’ (human being) are visible from a distance. For all its modernism, the mosque retains certain core features such as an orientation towards Mecca and a traditional call to prayer (athan). The residents of Mukhtara feels that constructing this mosque at this time sends a strong message: “that there’s an alternative, you can be religious without being close-minded.”
Source:
Eid, J. (2017, February 19). In Lebanon, an avant-garde mosque to preach coexistence. Agence France-Presse. Retrieved from http://www.thenational.ae/world/middle-east/in-lebanon-an-avant-garde- mosque-to-preach-coexistence
