Independent and/or Instrumentalized: Surveying Mosque Architecture in Chile (1986–2006)

This chapter presents three iterations of mosque architecture in Chile: As-Salam Mosque in Santiago, Bilal Mosque in Iquique, and the Mohammed VI Center for Civilizational Dialogue in Coquimbo. During certain periods of time—especially in the 1980s and 1990s—Muslims in Chile were afforded a degree of political independence from foreign influence. I argue that this independence allowed Islamic architecture in Chile to develop on its own terms and to acquire unique valences within Chilean society. More recently, mosque architecture in Chile has been overtly instrumentalized by foreign influences for political and decidedly non-religious means. The case of Chile's mosques allows us an architectural lens through which to examine the diversity of actors who employ, often via novel means, Islamic architecture for their own ends. A close examination of the planning, construction, and operation of these mosques reveals Chile's particular position within in the broad network of global Islam.

Keywords: Contemporary Islamic Architecture ; Coquimbo ; Diaspora ; Dome of the Rock ; Global Islam ; Iquique ; Kutubiyya ; Mezquita As-Salam ; Mezquita Bilal ; Morocco ; Palestine ; Santiago ; Turcos ; William Tapia Chuaquí