Edward Grazda: Artist Statement

Since 1980, I have been making photographs in Pakistan and Afghanistan. Because of my interest in these Muslim countries, I was introduced to Jerrilynn Dodds, professor of architecture and theory at the School of Architecture of the City College of New York at CUNY. We decided to collaborate on this project.

On February 26, 1993, a New York City that could not predict the events of September 11, 2001, witnessed an attack on the World Trade Center. Six people were killed, and more than 1,000 injured. The media presented images of shredded concrete straddled with the words "Muslim Terrorist," as if the religion held the key to the unspeakable act.

Documenting mosques and analyzing their architectural forms, conducting interviews with community members, we hoped to reveal an alternative image of American Islam.

There are nearly 800,000 Muslims in New York City, of which 75 percent are immigrants. There is a dynamic indigenous population as well, including converts, an African American community, and a growing Latino Muslim community. The over 100 mosques in the city mark the emergence of a positive transformation in American society, of an identity that is both American and Muslim.