15. Wicker Village

An ethnically diverse neighborhood built predominantly as a residential neighborhood, Wicker Village has the greatest concentration of Muslims in Newcastle, with a significant population of Hindus as well. The character of the neighborhood varies wildly, peaceful and orderly on one street (where pride and ownership hold sway) while hectic and violent just three blocks over (where hastily assembled tenement apartments breed crime). The Masjid al-Shah Mosque once stood in the shadows of the Church on the Rock South, but as the neighborhood’s immigrant population increased, so, too, did the congregation at al-Shah. Today, al-Shah stands as the most populous religious center in the city, and its facilities now sprawl over much of the land the mosque has spent the last 20 years purchasing. The mosque has a school, a community center and a cultural museum in addition to its religious functions.

Background

Wicker Village was once an affluent white neighborhood, but as Newcastle continued to grow, affluent whites continued to put ever greater distances between themselves and the inner city, which they perceived to be uncomfortably ethnic and inclined toward crime. Many sold their homes lock, stock and barrel, while others became landlords, renting out their homes to whoever would pay the rent. North African Muslims moved into the neighborhood first as renters but soon established their own local businesses, creating a distinct community anchor for themselves by the late 1980s. Not long after, several mosques followed, and Wicker Village grew outward, the only direction it could, to encompass more and more real estate on which greater numbers of Muslim homes and high-ratio Muslim apartment complexes were built.

Alternative Name(s)

Mosque

Type

District

Location under

New Castle