The Permanent Guest : An investigation of finding home within the sacred

The aspect of temporality in displacement are resulting in a reality of a state of waiting as permanent guests within their resettlement countries. In Sweden, immigrants are living on temporary residence permits, hindering long term commitment to their contexts. Muslims are met with opposition and are politically, socially and spatially marginalized. Purpose built mosques are viewed as controversial, where the North of Sweden is without. The report is investigating the establishment of a sense of home when living in temporality and how Mosques can facilitate a sense of home for displaced populations. The methods used for the investigation are literature reviews, case studies and interview. The notion of home is subjective and highly connected to social aspects. Attachment to place can provide the individual with a safe harbor is connected to a sense of community that is enhanced through shared interests and history. The connection to homeland for people in displacement is related to integration in the resettlement country. The domestic space can extend into local spaces of familiarity, where stereotypes can be reconsidered. The Mosque is a space for community with both secular and sacred programming. Different approaches to design by relating to oriental forms in various degrees, are attempting to integrate the “different” of Mosques within the European urban landscape. The forcing of marginalized populations to the periphery is potentially hindering feelings of home and being welcomed, where the freedom of religion in Sweden arguably is lacking a spatial component. The Mosque holds the potential to act as a safe harbor and bridge between Muslims and non-Muslims, through community and social support as well as providing an opportunity for Muslims to practice their right to host. The incorporation of traditional elements of Mosques facilitates place attachment. The collective retuning through prayer may facilitate the allowance to establish feelings of home, without abandoning the prospect of returning to the motherland. The connection between the building and the surrounding site is argued to be of importance for facilitating a smoother transition from secular to sacred. The social dimension to home when living as a permanent guest becomes important where the Mosque becomes a potential for social context through its inherent communal programming. The long history of opposition towards Islam in Sweden and the current secular mindset affects the discourse around religion. To adapt a secular design with interpretations of traditional Mosque elements may become a strategy for incorporating the Mosque within the Swedish context without losing the essence of the religion