GERMANY: East Germany's first mosque opens amid protests as politicians call for increased understanding of cultures
Record ID:
860105
GERMANY: East Germany's first mosque opens amid protests as politicians call for increased understanding of cultures
- Title: GERMANY: East Germany's first mosque opens amid protests as politicians call for increased understanding of cultures
- Date: 17th October 2008
- Summary: (W4) BERLIN, GERMANY (OCTOBER 16, 2008) (REUTERS) WIDE OF KHADIJA MOSQUE MOSQUE VARIOUS OF PEOPLE AT THE OPENING CEREMONY SIGN FOR THE MOSQUE
- Embargoed: 1st November 2008 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Germany
- City:
- Country: Germany
- Topics: Religion
- Reuters ID: LVA3B1JK9YX9D0875B8IBCVSSPW8
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- Story Text: The first mosque in the ex-communist eastern part of Germany opened on Thursday (October 16) after years of opposition from some residents and the far-right National Democratic Party (NPD).
The Khadija mosque, with room for about 250 people, is on the site of an old sauerkraut factory in the Berlin suburb of Pankow-Heinersdorf.
Attacks on the site and protests, some by residents and others by the NPD, have dogged the mosque's construction.
The resistance has highlighted Germany's difficulty in integrating its
2 million Muslims into mainstream society, especially in the former communist east where few have settled.
Local politicians attended the opening ceremony, including Wolfgang Thierse, the vice president of the German lower house of parliament, who said he hoped that people would be able to accept the mosque.
"I hope that daily life will now begin here and by that I mean that the Ahmadiyya community tries to make itself understood and that the neighbours try to understand. This is how it should be."
He said it was important for people to learn more about the religion in order to avoid problems in the future.
"I understand people have worries, and prejudices have a lot to do with the unknown. and that is why I think that you can overcome prejudices with through knowledge," said Thierse.
The Ahmadiyya movement, who are in charge of the mosque and whose slogan is "Love for all, hatred for no one", was founded in India in the 19th century. It defines itself as Muslim but is not recognised by some mainstream Muslim groups because of different beliefs.
Some Muslims, including many in Indonesia, say Ahmadiyya is heretical as it does not accept the Prophet Mohammad as Islam's final prophet and says its founder is a prophet and messiah.
Germany's roughly 30,000 Ahmadiyya members aim to have about 100 mosques in the country eventually.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, head of the predominantly Catholic Christian Democrats (CDU), has said mosque minarets should be built no higher than church steeples.
Germany's biggest mosque, with a 34-metre-high minaret and room for 1,200 worshippers, is to open later this month in Duisburg, in the industrial state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
Germany is home to about 2,500 mosque communities and has 2,250 active imams. Most of its Muslims are of Turkish origin. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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