A Spiritual NYC: Sociological Study of Mosques

Transcript

1. A SPIRITUAL NYC SOCIOLOGICAL STUDY OF MOSQUES CHC 20401: The Future of New York City Macaulay Honors College: City College Campus Presented By: Aboubacar Diallo Mohammad Zaryab
2. WHAT ARE ORGANIZATIONS? RATIONAL VS NATURAL
3. Rational Systems - Mechanistic - Specific and clear goals - Definite structure - Designated roles - Predictable outcomes Natural Systems - Biological - Personal interests - Complex structures - Survival is main purpose - Insufficient information to predict outcomes - Goals constantly evolve Organizations - Collectivities - Purpose - Strength in Numbers
4. ROUTINIZATION RATIONAL SIMPLIFYING TASKS
5. - Robin Leidner "Over the Counter at McDonald's" - Involves breaking difficult tasks into smaller ones - Creates routines that are easily done - Calls managers to assign and optimize performance of routines - Managers ensure that job is done
6. COOPERATIVE SYSTEMS NATURAL BALANCE BETWEEN COLLECTIVE & PERSONAL GOALS
7. Achieving Willingness to Serve - Communication - Common Purpose - Incentives - Chester Barnard's "The Functions of the Executive" (1938) - Participants have personal ambitions - Members give authority to the leader - Management balances collective goals and individual goals
8. BACKGROUND BASICS OF ISLAM
9. Five Pillars of Islam -  One and unique God—Allah and Muhammad (P.U.H) is His Messenger (Shahada) -  Perform 5 daily prayers (Salah) -  Fasting during Ramadan (Sawm) -  Mandatory Charity (Zakat) -  Pilgrimage to Mecca (Hajj)
10. Purpose of Mosques: - Help Muslims satisfy five pillars of Islam - Fulfill community's religious/spiritual needs Achieving this unique goal requires a hybrid system which combines practices under routinization/cooperative systems.The mosque (masjid) needs to implement both theories to function properly. The lack thereof equates to failure. THESIS
11. OBSERVATIONS WHAT ARE FIELD NOTES?
12. Field notes are formal records of observations Descriptions of: - People - Interactions - Location Analysis of: - Background - Events
13. DATA NOTES AND DESCRIPTIONS
14. ORGANIZATIONS LUNAR CENTER THE MANSION SOLAR CENTER LOCATION: Woodlawn, Bronx Park Slope, Brooklyn Mosholu Parkway, Bronx DATE: TIME: Friday, Feb. 22 1:20 pm - 2:30 pm Sunday, Mar. 3 12:45 pm - 2:00 pm Saturday , Feb. 16 4 pm - 7:30 pm Monday, Feb. 18 5:00 pm - 7:30 pm Sunday, Mar. 24 12:15 pm - 1:30 pm Thursday, Mar. 28 12:15 pm - 1:20 pm PHYSICAL DESCRIPTION: - 2-story residential building - 3 prayer rooms (each about 35 ft wide, 25 ft long, 12 ft high) - Minimal Decorations - Bookshelf with Islamic texts - Blue Carpet with marked rows -1st and basement of 3-story residential building -2 prayer rooms -Small bookshelf with Islamic texts. -Green carpet with rows - 2-story residential building - 2 prayer rooms (each about 25 ft wide, 20 ft long, 12 ft high) - Minimal Decorations - Bookshelf with Islamic texts - Green Carpet with marked rows - Painting of a Gate with Arabic Inscriptions
15. ORGANIZATIONS LUNAR CENTER THE MANSION SOLAR CENTER NOTES: - 25, 40 people in one room - Seated on carpet along rows - Khutbah on Friday (formal speech about Islam) - Imam leads unified prayer - People busy themselves by reading texts from bookshelf -About 150 people in the men's room -Seated on carpet along rows -Islamic studies held every day of the week -Imam traveled to his home country -Special event held on Saturday of first observation - 12, 18 people in attendance - Seated on carpet along rows - No prayers on Friday during Zuhr - No definite Imam - Individual leading prayer does not recite texts from Quran
16. THEORY APPLICATION ANALYSIS
17. Cooperation Systems Requirements Applications Leaders communicate acceptable practices and appropriate behaviors. "He spoke of the conditions of a Muslim's deeds being accepted by Allah." -The Mansion Fieldnote #1 "One important lesson was the prohibition of a Muslim belittling another Muslim." -The Mansion Fieldnote #2 "The khutbah is held every Friday before Zuhr. It is a formal speech regarding various elements of Islam" - Lunar Center Fieldnote #1 Leaders use incentives to get member participation. "Those who regularly attend the mosque decide how the mosque is used." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 "He went on to discuss that one should preserve his or her deeds by avoiding sins such as backbiting, harming others...and other bad deeds." -The Mansion Fieldnote #1
18. Leader's authority is given by members. "As he started the lecture, everybody became focused and attentive to his speech." -The Mansion Fieldnote #1 "The room was silent and after a short period of time, he [the imam] told everyone to bow." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 The leaders balance between organizational and participants goals. "...Females used the mosque occasionally for educational events. This involved teaching small children how to read in Arabic or discussing concepts that come up in the Quran." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 Cooperation Systems Requirements Applications
19. Routinization Requirements Applications The organization breaks down difficult tasks into smaller ones. "They were mostly sitting in the first row, which is the most virtuous of rows for men in making Salah in Islam." -The Mansion Fieldnote #2 "Wudhu [cleansing before Salah] involves washing the face, hands, arms and feet." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 Leaders create routines and optimize their application. "As people enter, they leave their shoes on shoe racks near the entrance. All three entrances feature large shoe racks." -Lunar Center Fieldnote #1 "The imam (leader) of the masjid holds classes between the sunset prayer and the last prayer of the day." -The Mansion Fieldnote #2
20. Leaders assign tasks to members. "The caller to the salah (known as the muadhin) was making the adhan (call to salah)." -The Mansion Fieldnote #2 "The 'Imam,' the religious leader of the mosque, leads the group in prayers." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 Leaders ensure jobs are being done. "For example, participants are not allowed to curse or insult others while in the mosque [and outside it]." -Solar Center Fieldnote #1 "The prayer was soon established, and the first two rows were almost full." -The Mansion Fieldnote #2 Routinization Requirements Applications
21. CONTRIBUTION TO SOCIETY CONCLUSIONS
22. Outlook of Mosques - Mosques rely on participants' cooperation for survival - Location is key in dictating willingness to attend mosque - Routines attract participants (complexity deters) - Cooperation between leader and patrons keeps a constant flow of participants Benefits and Teachings - Promotion of unity (khutbah, unified prayer, Hajj) - Employing incentives (a better life/afterlife) - Improving human conditions such flaws in personality
23. FUTURE OF NYC LESSONS TO BE TAKEN
24. NYC organizations can be improve by: a.  Promoting unity in the workplace. b.  Preventing wrong practices. c.  Inviting workers to participate in the decision making process d.  Providing financial and social incentives e.  Simplifying tasks in the workplace f.  Adopting a certain flexibility for extraordinary conditions
25. WORKS CITED Images -Mosque Silhouette http://pixabay.com/p-41768/?no_redirect - City Silhouette http://pixabay.com/p-48791/?no_redirect -Handshake http://farm7.staticflickr.com/6125/5987710858_b32ef31480.jpg -McDonalds Logo http://asklogo.com/images/M/Mcdonalds%20logos.jpg -Assembly Line http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9c/Ford_fertigung_1923.jpg -Praying http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--zKwsj2VdeQ/TWvgdPohKuI/AAAAAAAABzs/rlZVfXATnAs/s1600/n00021501-b.jpg -Inside Mosque Image http://muslimworker.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/04/inside-mosque-pakistan.jpg -Organizations and Organizing http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0131958933? ie=UTF8&tag=booksinfo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&SubscriptionId=14G329YWN5EHXRB8WRG2&crea tiveASIN=0131958933 -The Sociology of Organizations http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0761987665? ie=UTF8&tag=booksinfo-20&linkCode=xm2&camp=2025&creative=165953&SubscriptionId=14G329YWN5EHXRB8WRG2&crea tiveASIN=0761987665 - Book and pen http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7152/6492782663_3a345d7a25_z.jpg
26. - Harlem Mosque http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/ca/Nyc-harlem-mosque-number-7.jpg/1024px-Nyc-harlem-mosque- number-7.jpg - 96th Street Mosque http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7184/6849753727_dc0d7c831b_o.jpg Texts -Leidner, Robin. 1993. "Over the Counter McDonald's." Excerpt from Fast Food, Fast Talk. Berkeley, CA: University of California Press. -Scott, W. Richard, Gerald F. Davis. 2003. Organizations and Organizing: Rational, Natural and Open System Perspectives.. pp. 26-34 and 70-72. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, 07458: Prentice Hall.