Panel: Popular American Architecture and Art
William H. Young, Chair
The Shrine Mosque:
Architecture of a Peculiar Brotherhood
Guillermo De Los Reyes
University of Pennsylvania
University of the Americas-Puebla, Mexico
Paul Rich
University of the Americas-Puebla
Hoover Institution, Stanford University
We would like to refer you to our article on the Shrine in the current issue of
The Journal of American Culture. There we provide a good deal of historical
background which we are just summarizing today.
In a number of American cities there is a building which would be quite at
home inCairo or Damascus, with minarets and arches reminiscent of the Middle
East. Hollywood´s Oscar ceremonies come from one such building and downtown
Indianapolis has another. There are nearly 200 Shrine mosques in the United
States and Canada.
The Shrine, or Mystic Shrine, or more properly. the Ancient Arabic Order
Nobles of the Mystic Shrine, is an autonomous organization which recruits from
those who have climbed the Masonic ladder and become either Knights Templar or
thirty-second degree Scottish Rite Masons. An extremely wealthy organization, it
endowments are well over ten billion dollars and thus comparable with those of
Harvard. It is probably best known to the public for its charities such as hospitals for
crippled children and its centers for severe burn victims, and for sponsorship of
events such as the East-West Shrine football bowl and circuses.
But its buildings are equally remarkable. The architecture of Shrine
buildings reflects the fact that, like many Masonic organizations, the Shrine has a
legendary past which historians would challenge, claiming that it orginated in 656
AD somewhere in the Middle East. Its meeting halls are called mosques and its
board of officers is known as a divan, with the presiding officer termed the
potentate. The uniform is modeled after the one used by Zouaves in the French
Empire and the red fez is its famous distinctive headdress. The fez became such a
status symbol that it was borrowed by many other Masonic groups. Possibly the most
remarkable use of it is by some Masonic Knight Templars, who sport an Islamic
(albeit old-fashioned) fez with the Christian crusading cross!
The Shrine fez became a symbol of prestige, status, and money, so that it hs
ben much imitated by other American fraternal orders. A competitive Masonic
group, called the Mystic Order Veiled Prophets of theEnchanted Realm, or the
Grotto, admits Masons who have only the first three degrees and is called "the poor
man's Shrine" because members do not have to pay out to take additional degrees as
the potential Nobles must before they can join the Shrine. The Grotto claims to
base its ritual on the works of Hakem ben Haschem, the Al Mokanna or Veiled
Prophet of Persia. Lacking the money that the Shrine has, the Grotto has never
been able to compete architecturally, althugh there are a few noteworthy grottoes
and it has a peculiar social ascendancy in St. Louis. The Grotto often shares a
Masonic temple with several other organizations.
The Shrine itself has a number of associated groups which use its temples.
The Royal Order of Jesters, which draws is members from active Shriners, and the
Daughters of the Nile, Ladies Oriental Shrine, and Shrine Guilds are usually
housed in the mosque. The Ancient Egyptian Order of Princesses of Sharemkhu
differs from the Ladies Oriental Shrine in requiring a very close relationship such
as that of wife or or sister. The Legion of Honor is for Shriners who served or are
serving in the American military. (There is a Shrine for blacks, calling itself the
Ancient Eyptian Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. The black Shrine has a
women's group called the Daughers of Isis. The Grotto has a women's group called
the Daughers of Mokanna.)
One of the most interesting affiliates of the Shrine is the Quetzacoatl: :
The Order of Quetzalcoatl was founded on March 14, 1945, by the late Arthur J.
Elian, Recorder of Anezeh Temple in Mexico City, who was an outstanding
student of Mexican lore as well as an active 33 degree Mason. His profound interest
in all Masonic affairs crowned his efforts with all honors due him, having been
Grand Master of the Muy Respectable Grand Logia Valle de Mexico, Emeritus
Registrar of the Scottish Rite bodies, Recorder Emeritus of Anezeh Temple, and
was fondly considered "Mr. Mason." The Order is based upon authentic Mexican
legend and depicts the eternal struggle between the forces of good and evil. This is
the only Order of American origin, following the Masonic Tenets of Brotherly
Love, Relief and Truth, which were exemplified in the life of Quetzalcoatl.
Members of the order are known as Coates (KO-AH-TAYS) or Artisans, and
Indian word which means twin brothers. Artisans are truly the "workers" of the
Temple.
The Quetzalcoatl, while drawings its members from the Shrine, is extremely
distinctive and asks its members to go to Mexico as a part of their initiation: "The
ritual is divided into three distinct parts. Once accepted into membership an
individual is a Coate (or tribesman) of the Order and is given an obligation in
which he promises that he will avail himself to receive the two degree of the Order,
that on Initiation and that of Consecration. Upon initiation through a ritualistic
full feathered ceremonial, a candidate is made an Artisan. Thereafter, by
consecration ceremonies either at the annual 'Feast of Fire', or upon a pilgrimage
to the pyramids in Mexico, primarily the Temple of Quetzalcoatl at Teotihuacan
(Mexico City) or Chichen Itza (Cancun), a candidate may be consecrated a Master
Artisan. The one with the other would be incomplete and it is urged that the
candidate by informed that although initiation is highly instructive and of great
interest, it is desirable that all candidates should, whenever possible, make the
pilgrimage to the Ancient Temple of Quetzalcoatl."
With the exception of the Quetzalcoatl, whose meeting rooms inside the
mosques have Mexican motifs, Shrine-related organizations go to great lengths to
project an image of Islamic antiquity. The details are based on notions of what a
Middle Eastern building looks like, although they often are eclectic and blend
Persia, Egyptian and Islamic themes. Undoubtedly some, though not all, of the
members think they are participating in very old ceremonies.
In actual fact the Shrine appears to have been invented by a medical doctor,
Walter Millard Fleming. Dr. Fleming was active in Freemasonry in New York City
in the 1870s. He belonged to both the Scottish and York rites of Masonry. In 1867
a friend of Dr. Fleming, William J. Florence, returned from a trip to Middle East
full of enthusiasm for Islamic architecture and costumes. Florence was an actor and
his real name was William Jermyn Conlin. One story about his part in the
beginning of the Shrine holds that he actually received the Shrine ritual from
another Mason, Charles T. McClenachan, before he went to the Middle East.
The passion for Orientalism proved contagious and along with
McClenachan, Fleming and Florence devised a ritual which would be given only to
Masons who had climbed the York or Scottish Rite ladders. This was an era when
fraternalism was growing by leaps and bounds, and when there was an appetite for
taking more degrees. The Odd Fellows, Pythians and other groups also created
additional orders. Brotherhood was elitist in the sense that once one joined a
fraternity, there loomed additional initiations that conferred more status.
The Shrine eventually established itself in nearly 200 cities in Canada, the
United States, Mexico and Panama. It had a number of space demands which
meant that sharing a building with lower level Masons was impractical. In some
cases, such as Detroit, it was possible to build a gigantic complex that would include
the Shrine along with other Masonic bodies, but the prevailing pattern was of
separate Shrine edifices. These demands included:
a. The use of live animals such as camels in the initiation ceremonies.
b. Sponsorship of circuses as a fundraising activity.
c. A bar and the use of alcohol, which is prohibited in buildings where the basic
blue lodge Masonry is present.
d. Organizing of parades, with units such as a motorcycle corps and band. A
corollary was the need for a large parking area where trailers could be kept.
e. The fact that the Shrine only initiated 32nd degree or Knight Templar Maons,
and hence could not allow other Masons to attend its meetings.
The Shrine, unlike other Masonic groups, limits the number of mosques in a
region. A major city has one mosque, while it may have dozens of lodges and
perhaps a half dozen Scottish Rite facilities. For example, Eastern Massachusetts
has one mosque in a Boston suburb, but there are easily 100 different other
Masonic buildings in the region belonging to one or another groups. This
insistence on having a large member base has enabled the Shrine to build extremely
elaborate facilities, which often are rented out. In a number of cities, the Shrine
mosque has been the best facility available for professional stage events.
In consequence of the Shrine's success, many American cities have what look
like Muslim mosques but are actually attended by "Prebyterians in search of a
drink". Years ago, when contact with islam was rare and when there were no
Moslems in any numbers in the United States, this architectural assertion had less
significance than it does today. Indeed, one might think that the Islamic world
would react with pleasure to the erection of Arabic-style buildings and the desire of
leading Americans to adopt Middle Eastern motifs. That was not the case.
Although imitation is supposed to be the sincerest flattery and a
compliment, there is a profound irony to the relationship between Freemasonry
and the Middle East. No world organization owes more to the Muslims in the way
of its motifs, its symbols, and its rituals. Not only is the Shrine through-and
through an expensive effort to import the flavor of the region to North America,
but other Masonic degrees also display Islamic themes. But, ironically, no
organization in the course of its presence in the Middle East has encountered more
criticism, more disapproval, and more outright government persecution.
Despite all the minarets and arches and fezes, neither the Shrine nor any of
the other Masonic organizations have managed to establish themselves in the Arab
world to any extent. The use of Arab and Middle Eastern motifs, the references in
the rituals to Allah, the hospitals for children have all been for naught in a public
relations sense. Roman Catholics in Mexico City become members, but not
Muslims in Mecca. Because of Muslim injunctions against Masonry, and because of
the suspicions of Middle Eastern regimes about its political purposes, the fraternity
has had a twilight existence in Arab world. Often the lodges meet in secret and in
fear of their officers being carted off to the police station. A raid on one lodge in
Saudi Arabia is described by a Mason in graphic detail:
Individually and as a group, the four Masons were subjected over and
over again to a never-ending interrogation concerning their Masonic
activities. An officer with the rank of major was in charge and
conducted the lengthy, detailed investigation. And all of the materials
seized during the raid on the Masonic Lodge were gathered and pored over
in fine detail. Later on, George Freygang related that the documentation in
possession of the secret police before the infamous raid convinced him that the
Saudi Security had "copies of everything" (George's own words) that had been
generated by many of the Masons, including a number of phone conversations.
In short, while well established in most of the world, Masonry truly is a
clandestine organization in much of the Arab world and the Shrine from an Arab
view is the most despised part of Masonry ‹ notwithstanding public relations
efforts to achieve a better image and the fact that one of it is so Islamic in flavor.
(The present situation of Freemasonry in countries where the majority of the population are
Muslims is precarious, despite long efforts to establish a Masonic presence:
The first Lodge erected in the Middle East was established by Scotland
at Aden in 1850. This appears to have been followed by a Lodge in
Palestine about 1873. However, most Masonic development was spawned in
this century, beginning with English Lodges located in Iraq shortly
after the First World War. Unfortunately, the lot of the Craft in the
Middle East has not generally been a happy one. Only in Israel has
Masonry flourished, with that country possessing a regular Grand Lodge.
Outside of Israel very few Lodges remain, with the oldest survivor being
a Scottish Lodge in Jordan, dating from 1925. British-warranted Lodges
that formerly existed in Iraq, South Yemen (Aden), and elsewhere on the
Arabian Peninsula have all been extinguished as the result of political
pressure. A few German-warranted Lodges work in Arabia, having been set
up in only very recent years. However, their longer term future must be
uncertain. In Iran, which has lately had a regular Grand Lodge,
Freemasonry has been destroyed, almost literally, and this occurrence
must rate as one of the greatest tragedies in Masonic history. In short,
in view of the turbulent political and religious situation in the Arab
world, it would appear most unlikely that the Craft will expand in the Middle East in the
foreseeable future.)
Most Nobles of the Shrine would deny that there is any just cause for the
animosity or that Masonry conflicts with religious views. Although outlawed in
Saudi Arabia, the lodge leaders who function there illegally like to think that their
presence is benign and that the opposition is because of misunderstanding. Many
conservative Muslims would be much less charitable and say that they understand
all too well. These differing opinions depend partly on interpretation of
symbolism. What Masons think is "simply fraternal ritual" is to some of the deeply
religious, Muslim or Christian, a parody of their faith. A Masonic authority
comments on the custom of lodges of displaying a version of the Bible on the lodge
altar:
Notes...