Mešita – Czech word for mosque.

Miloš – referring to Miloš Zeman, president of the Czech Republic since 2013.

On Sunday February 28 I constructed a cardboard mosque in front of the Prague Castle which is the official residence of the Czech president Miloš Zeman. Mr. Zeman has in the past made disparaging comments about immigration in general and Muslims specifically. Not coincidentally the February 6th Pegida protests were organized  in the vicinity of the castle.  This was due to the nationalistic overtones of the location and also because of a lack of disapproval from the president. I represented Pegida’s big fears with a small and fragile mosque.

The performance lasted about an hour and a half. During this time I constructed the mosque, pointing it towards Mecca using a smartphone app. After constructing and reinforcing the building I tried to take a photo with the Prague skyline. At this point I was intercepted by four police officers, who checked my ID, and ordered me out of the old town. I walked home carrying the mosque.

Photos and video by Santiago Lopez