MetaMosque
Envisioning the Mosque as a virtual public space

- Prototypes for Humanity Exhibition , Dubai, 2022
- The Gallery at VCUarts, Qatar, 2022

Historically, the mosque was not only a space for communal prayer but also a place for building a community. Today, however, with conflicts and diseases fragmenting society, people are less able to gather physically in large spaces. Out of necessity, people rely increasingly on technology to get together and interact virtually. In this context, my research challenges the notion of the mosque as a physical space, proposing, instead, its extension into virtual space. Recent global events pose the question: Can the metaverse offer an opportunity for the mosque to reassert itself as a public space. I propose that a MetaMosque can facilitate vital, spiritual and communal functions—similar to a physical mosque—creating a sense of belonging and unity across social and physical boundaries. Rather than replacing the traditional mosque's capabilities, the MetaMosque attempts to extend them, forming a virtual public space and encouraging a more accessible and inclusive virtual society.

The study of the mosque is crucial in identifying its evolution through time, as a praying space and as a public space. The transformation of mosques in forms, shapes, colours, et cetera, built a diverse conception of what a mosque “should '' look like. Some case studies are taken into consideration in this research to advocate for the role of the mosque as a public space.
Religious spaces were playing a great role through history uniting people across all social boundaries. Historically, the mosque has created this opportunity, providing a shared space not only for prayer but also for community-building . However, in current times with conflict and diseases such as Covid-19 fragmenting societies, people have resorted to virtual spaces for connection.

In this context, the mosque is challenged as a physical space and then extended into the virtual space through metaverse and its reachable virtual platforms. MetaMosque becomes an extension of the mosque's physical boundaries rather than a replacement; an inclusive communal public space that is mirrored virtually to create a more accessible virtual community. This re-invitation of the mosque in the metaverse accentuates an expansion of the boundaries of the public space of the mosque anytime, anywhere for all. In short, the framework of this thesis is to further activate our platform of interaction by updating them and pushing them to speak the language of today, This thesis tested some of the available platforms to envision the MetaMosque, mainly using the VRchat, to present an investigation on accessible technology reachable to everyone anytime anywhere; advocating that the same technology responsible for the fragmentation of societies shall be accountable for the re-union of people.
The result of this research and the outcome mainly revolves around the accessible and purposeful communal building within a virtual public space. An extension of the mosque, beyond the spatial limitations of a physical public space, allows for the creation of virtual communities that feature and facilitate spiritual and communal functions of a holistic experience.