Why Muslim leaders like building grand mosques

IN THE EARLY days of Islam, mosques were modest affairs. The first ones had neither domes nor minarets. The Prophet Muhammad used his courtyard as a prayer hall. But Arab autocrats now see things differently. Many hope to leave a legacy in stone in keeping with their proclaimed grandeur.

Take Abdelaziz Bouteflika, Algeria’s longtime president, finally ousted last year. Just as he was wheeled from office, he beat Morocco for the crown of Africa’s largest mosque with a megalith costing $1bn that spans 40 hectares. It has all the charm of a vast Chinese airport with a traffic-control tower. Given that it was built by Chinese workers, that is almost what it is, minus a few archways.