Beyond the Divide: A Century of Canadian Mosque Design

Muslims have been Canada's fastest growing religious community since 1996, and its members, drawn from across the Islamic diaspora, have established mosques across the country. Taking a geographical approach, Tammy Gaber, an architecture professor at Laurentian University, traces the history of Canadian mosques from the 1938 construction of the nation's first to those created in the present day. In addition to analyzing architectural styles employed in various regions, Gaber provides social and ethnic contexts from simple vernacular designs erected in communities near the Arctic Circle to the complex architecture of Islamic centers found in Canada's bustling cities and suburbs. Richly illustrated with dozens of color photos and an appendix of architectural plans for the 90 featured structures, this book is a valuable contribution to expanding scholarship on both mosques and the congregations who sponsor and build them, as well as worship in them.