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BUENOS AIRES (AFP) -Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdel Aziz inaugurated South America's largest mosque on Monday, as a local Muslim leader attempted to soothe neighbors' concerns that it could prove a target for attacks. The Rey Fahd Islamic Center, located in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, was dedicated by the crown prince and Argentinean President Fernando de la Rua and will serve Argentina's Muslim community, estimated at around 500,000. "This will not only serve as a mosque but also as a place from which to spread and strengthen Muslim culture and civilization," the crown prince said at the ceremony. The center, built about 300 meters (1,000 feet) from the U.S. Embassy at a cost of $22 million, will also house Islamic schools, an assembly hall, movie theatre and restaurant. "A community is enriched by incorporating diversity and dialogue," de la Rua said at the inauguration. "In Argentina, we are proud that diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds are not reasons for division or confrontation but for tolerance and understanding." Residents of the area near the mosque had in recent days made anxious calls to the local media recalling the two car-bomb attacks in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994. The bombs targeted respectively the Israeli embassy and a Jewish community center, leaving 115 dead and more than 500 injured. Imam Mahmud Hussein, director of the Center for Higher Islamic Studies here, told local radio, "We are hopeful that nothing like that will happen, but [the center] has been located so that no other building is exposed." The mosque is built on a site donated in 1995 by then-president Carlos Menem, who is of Syrian ancestry, to King Fahd during an official visit. The crown prince arrived here Monday on a private jet with an entourage of 250 people, and was received by de la Rua at a ceremony at the presidential palace. At a welcoming ceremony before the inauguration of the mosque, De la Rua expressed interest in "deepening bilateral relations" between the two countries and bestowed upon the crown prince a medal of honor. At the time of Menem's gift to King Fahd, the current Argentine president was one of the most vocal opponents of the proposed center. The two leaders then signed agreements pledging cooperation in the development of science and technology. Relations between the two countries have improved since Argentina backed the alliance against Iraq during the Gulf War in 1991. Bilateral trade, however, remains insubstantial, at about $70 million annually. The crown prince will remain in Argentina until Wednesday, when he is due to travel to Venezuela for the OPEC summit. |
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