Urban Islam in the Netherlands: What Mosques Can Tell

In the Netherlands the number of newly built mosques has grown fast in the past decades, attracting attention of academic observers, politicians and citizens alike. This paper presents a seven-fold typology of Dutch mosques, as one possible way to discuss how mosques have integrated into the urban landscape of Dutch cities and towns. Each type emphasizes a specific imagery of the material expression of the mosque’s ethnic-social-religious identity in Dutch society. Providing illustrative examples that support this classification, the typology will serve as analytical instrument to provide insight in the history of identity politics and dynamic notions of aesthetics.