RT: Muslims in Moscow say there are not enough mosques in the capital to serve the needs of their community. City Hall refutes the claims.
In recent years, the Muslim community of the capital has repeatedly complained that they need more mosques – the four existing ones are too little for the nearly 2 million believers living in Moscow.
The capital’s officials, however, say that more than enough land has been given over for the purpose of building places of worship.
The lack of mosques has even resulted in Muslims worshipping in Orthodox churches. Islamic leaders are strictly opposed to the initiative, saying that this only triggers hostility between the communities.
At the same time, building new mosques does not help establish better relations between the churches either.
Recently, around 2,000 signatures were collected by residents in the city’s south who did not want a mosque in their area. Instead, they say, the place could be turned into the park.
Orthodox Christian groups added fuel to the fire, saying that they also wanted to use the site for a church but could not get zoning permission, and questioning how their Muslim colleagues were able to get one. >>> | Published: Tuesday, October 12, 2010; Edited: Wednesday, October 13, 2010
