The Effect of Building Regulations in Non-Islamic Contexts on the Mosque Architecture Anfal Muayad Hijeat * , Inaam A. Al-Bazzaz Department of Architecture, College of Engineering, University of Baghdad, Baghdad 10071, Iraq Corresponding Author Email: a.mayoof@coeng.uobaghdad.edu.iq https://doi.org/10.18280/ijsdp.180325 ABSTRACT Received: 15 November 2022 Accepted: 15 February 2023 The increase of Muslim communities in Western countries has led to an increase in Islamic places of worship. Most Western countries currently lack clear planning policies and building regulations pertaining to Islamic places of worship. Therefore, the problem of this paper is to study the impact of the various planning determinants on mosque architecture in the Western context. The research follows a descriptive-analytical approach by examining the building regulations concerned with regulating the construction of houses of worship in various Western contexts. The research contributed to presenting a set of planning and structural determinants that affect the location and design of Islamic places of worship in the Western context, including determinants related to the site, social, economic, political, and finally environmental. The extracted indicators can be adopted by those interested in drafting laws establishing Islamic places of worship. The research chose a group of samples from mosques and Islamic centers in different countries and tested the validity of these indicators on the samples. The research concluded the importance and necessity of dealing with the urban context of the site and maintaining harmony with the urban environment. Mosques and other places of worship also play an important role in developing the urban character of cities and achieving diversity. Keywords: mosques, Islamic centers, urban planning, building regulations, non-Islamic contexts 1. INTRODUCTION Islam occupies a greater position every year in the spaces of Western cities, which made many studies study the social, political, and environmental dimensions of Islamic places of worship in Europe and America [1]. Each society has its own geographical and regional conditions, history, and beliefs that it reflects in the urban space. With each wave of migration of Muslims and others is adding layers of cultural and religious diversity to the fabric of the city. The presence of Muslims corresponds to the need for religious buildings to establish Islamic prayer and to teach the Holy Qur’an, so the urban mosque or religious center is a community building that depicts distinct urban forms of relationships and boundaries [2]. These mosques have come to represent the aspiration of Muslim communities to interact in public and private places in urban areas. Therefore, one of the frequently brought up subjects in public conversations concerning the status of Muslim communities in Western European nations is the construction of mosques. The framework for urban renewal made it possible for housing for Islamic religious and cultural practices to significantly improve. Urban planning discourse has paid less attention to topics like visibility and presence, which are currently the focus of contentious discussions regarding Muslim populations in many cultures [3]. But for the purposes of recognizing Islamic institutions, every western nation has some standards, laws, safety rules, and development goals [4]. Therefore, several policies are adopted in the West, including: 1.1 Western law in dealing with Islamic places of worship (Mosques) Islamic places of worship are similar to Christian churches and Jewish or Hindu temples as sacred places of worship, and therefore legally equal in treatment with other religions [3]. Laws differ from one country to another. In Belgium, for example, there is no representative body for mosques recognized at the national level, although Islam is a recognized religion. Also, Britain does not support mosques and Islamic schools. As for the Netherlands, it is concerned with Islamic places of worship, and religious pluralism is recognized in the legislation [4]. 1.2 Determinants of planning Islamic places of worship Planning laws in most western cities operate based on not changing the type of use based on the city's master plan. Two mechanisms are usually adopted when initiating the establishment of Islamic places of worship in Western societies, the first: is building without legal permission by adapting old or abandoned religious buildings, such as some churches, into mosques or Islamic centers. The second: building by obtaining legal approvals by constructing the mosque on land designated for religious use in the master plan [5]. There is a third mechanism that is adopted in the event of converting a building using a different (residential/industrial), into a mosque or an Islamic center, and this requires approval for the change of use. For example, in Britain, building controls are obligatory by the Town and County Planning Act International Journal of Sustainable Development and Planning Vol. 18, No. 3, March, 2023, pp. 897-908 Journal homepage: http://iieta.org/journals/ijsdp 897