By TwoCircles.net staff reporter,
New Delhi: A photo exhibition entitled ‘Building Islam in Detroit’ was today inaugurated at the FTK Centre for Information Technology in Jamia Millia Islamia (JMI) by Steven White, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy, in the presence of Prof Mushirul Hasan, Vice Chancellor of JMI.
The exhibition comprising 20 panels of visuals and accompanying explanatory text has been set up by the USIS in collaboration with the Outreach Programme of JMI, says a release from the university.
Detroit, Michigan, is home to the largest and oldest population of Muslims in the United States. The city’s first mosque was built in 1921. “Building Islam in Detroit” is a research project that documents the growth of Muslim communities in greater Detroit over the last century. The project began in May 2004 and it has been interviewing people, documenting their histories, photographing mosques and Muslim associations.
The exhibit at JMI explores ‘building’ as a process that creates both physical objects and social identities. Mosques are ideal examples of this creative process. They are sites at which Muslims give collective, material expression to their beliefs. The exhibit aims to help the viewer appreciate the historical richness, diversity and influence of Islam in Detroit. Shaped by experiences of discrimination and opportunity, struggle and accomplishment, the building projects on display can be seen as the groundwork of a Muslim American future, says the release.