The Civic and Cultural Role of the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque

This paper highlights the Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque (SZGM) in Abu Dhabi. The initial impression of features and activities shows that the mosque is being or should be a lighthouse for moderation and religious tolerance in UAE. The paper examines SZGM's role through using a theoretical framework that will be used as a criterion in order to identify the other aspects that the mosque needs strongly to do to be more activated. According to this framework the role of the mosque in general should have three main functions: monotheistic function, socialization function, and communicative function. Every function has sub functions. I try in this paper to examine the extent to which SZGM can perform its civic and cultural role.