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The
Historical Mosque in Moscow .
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By Damir
Ahmed, IOL Correspondent
MOSCOW, May 24, 2005
(IslamOnline.net) – The Russian capital city of Moscow
will have more than
11 new mosques to accommodate the growing number of Muslims and meet
their needs, Chairman the Muftis' Council of Russia (SMR) Ravil Gainutdin said Tuesday,
May 24.
In statements published by local Russian media, Gainutdin
added the construction of the new mosques has received the go-ahead from
the mayor of
Moscow
and would be carried out in cooperation with Muslim charities and
construction companies, urging Muslims worldwide to make generous
donations.
“It needs a concerted Muslim effort from all over the
world,” he said.
SMR Media Officer Radik Amirov said that the council is
considering now the locations of the new mosques.
“Contacts with Russian officials, chiefly Moscow Mayor Yuri
Luzhokov, are underway to construct the new mosques, which will meet the
needs of around two million Muslims in
Moscow
,” he told
IslamOnline.net Tuesday.
Amirov added that the mayor is keen on holding a regular
monthly meeting at the Main Mosque in Prospekt district, in south
Moscow
, with Muslim
leaders to address the problems facing the minority.
Overcrowded
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The
Cafederali Mosque in Moscow.
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As
Moscow
’s five existing mosques burst at the seams on Friday Prayers,
the new mosques are definitely a very welcome addition.
The five
existing mosques are mainly located in Central and Southern Moscow,
including the Historical Mosque (Историческая
мечеть) and the main Cafederali
Mosque (Соборная
мечеть), which is being expanded.
There is also a Shiites-frequented mosque of the Iranian embassy and a
mosque of the Saudi embassy. The latter has been recently closed by
Russian security services under claims that it was a meeting point for
"extremists".
Last September, a new
mosque opened in the eastern city of
Benza
after eight years of
construction.
Russians embracing the
Muslim faith are on the rise. The SMR had said that around 20,000 people
embraced Islam in the period from January to October last year in
Moscow
alone.
In June 2004,
Russia
’s major Islamic
associations laid the groundwork for a pan-Muslim body that is hoped to
help spread Islam nationwide and clear stereotypes about Muslims.
Russian Muslims have
also set up the first ever rights group to defend their economic,
political and religious rights.
Russia
has a Muslim
population of 23 million, representing roughly 15 percent of its 145
million population, according to a 2003 census.
