Wednesday, October 19, 2011

Sweden: Ice Mosque Planned for Lapland

THE DAILY TELEGRAPH: Sweden's Muslims are planning to build an 'Ice Mosque' in Jukkasjärvi, the Lapland home of the country's famous Ice Hotel.

Imam Mahmoud Aldebe, head of the Swedish Muslim Association, said that the mosque would be an opportunity to tell tourists about Islam.

"It would be a new way of seeking dialogue between different cultures and religions," he told Norrländska Socialdemokraten, a local paper.

"It's not actually such a controversial idea. It has been received well with everyone we have spoken to."

Each winter, Ice Hotel founder Yngve Bergqvist, oversees the sculpting of a giant 5,500 square metre complex, using ice cut from the local Torne river. » | Richard Orange in Malmö | Wednesday, October 19, 2011