In Toronto at the RIS conference this last December 2009, Dr. Abdulhakim Murad spoke of what a mosque should be. He spoke of the nature of the mosque being a welcoming place, where all can come for spiritual comfort. Muslim or other, all should feel welcome there. He emphasized that they should also not be hyphenated mosques, i.e., Arab-mosque, South Asian Mosque, etc. Rather, the Mosque should not display ornamentation to discourage any from coming and should be a place for all. He gave an example of a mosque that practiced this permissible tradition from the financial aspects to the social aspects of its growth, and how now it is expanding as a result.

This was juxtaposed to the countless mosques who have gone about matters without pure intent and have tried to exclude some, and how overwhelmingly these mosques who have operated in this discouraged manner have failed. They have either failed financially or have failed to produce a peaceful environment for the community. The members do not want to go the mosque and the youth do everything to avoid it.

In America, we have some of these same issues. Many mosques' populations breakdown along ethnic lines, or along a particular religious affiliation. In Dearborn, Michigan all one has to do is look to the North and see the Shia mosques and look to the South to see the Sunni mosques. Many have used mosques in America to create cultural enclaves to avoid embracing and engaging their new society. In Ann Arbor, Michigan, the mosque located on Plymouth Road has had its challenges dealing with a very transient community associated with the college. Although a resident of Ann Arbor, I rarely attend the Ann Arbor mosque. I have lived here for more than 12 years, but have never felt welcomed there as an American.