Mosques in the Netherlands: Transforming the Meaning of Marginal Spaces

Abstract

Previous research has shown that mosques in the Netherlands and in Western Europe, in general, are frequently located in marginal spaces and face resistance when transformed into a visible, constructed, house of worship. In this essay, fieldwork analysis centered on the controversial Essalam Mosque in Rotterdam deepens the understanding of marginality, by explaining how mosque construction, spatial establishment, labor, and Islamic morality can be distinguished and intersect on the ground level. It is shown that mosques are not merely situated in marginal spaces, but rather resist marginality, appropriate the “right to the city”, and transform the meanings of marginal spaces for Dutch Muslims.