“Building Islam in Detroit” is the not just an exhibition of pictures but a testimony to the cultural diversity of length and breadth of the United States and a living example of almost a century old history of mosques in the American city of Detroit.

“Building Islam in Detroit”, an interdisciplinary study of Muslim institutions and collective spaces, is an event jointly organised by Nairang Galleries and the US Consulate, Lahore, and US Consulate Principal Officer Bryan Hunt inaugurated it on Thursday.

Speaking on the occasion, Hunt said the exhibition displayed the real American culture with all its diversity, a splendid amalgamation and unique blend of various cultures.

“Islam is the second biggest and fastest growing religion in America and Muslims are the largest community the American government serves,” he said, adding that the Muslims were playing a new political role in America. He said the exhibition provided a chance to know the different interpretations of Islam by different Muslim countries. He said the exhibition was a part of an interdisciplinary project by the faculty and graduate students of the University of Michigan.

Hunt said, after giving a brief history of Islam, the exhibition introduced the audience to the Muslim prayer, architecture, social life and mosque aesthetics.

“Muslims living in the US form an integral part of the society and bring a rich diversity to its culture,” he said, adding that the exhibition explored the aesthetics and thought behind the public and private spaces the Muslims had built in Detroit over the years.

He said the people of Lahore-a city with its own rich cultural and architectural heritage-will appreciate the attempts of their Muslim brothers in Detroit of enriching the landscape of the city.

Source: Dawn