Copenhagen: In a move seen as consolidating dialogue and understanding, Denmark opened the first mosque with a minaret in the capital Copenhagen on June 19.
Dubbed Scandinavia’s biggest ‘real’ mosque, the vast complex built on 6,700 square meter (72,118 square feet) with 150-million kroner ($27.2 million) Qatari funds also houses a community centre and other facilities.
The new mosque, which aims to “create a platform for dialogue between Danish Muslims and other groups in Danish society”, comes almost nine years after the publication of defamatory cartoons against Prophet Muhammad (PbUH).
“With this platform you can avoid conflicts like the one over the Mohammed cartoons, because it creates dialogue and understanding,” Mohamed Al Maimouni, spokesman for the Danish Islamic Council, which owns the mosque, told AFP (Agence France Presse).
The Danish Islamic Council is known for having “a moderate understanding of Islam” and had “an Islamic philosophy based on adjusting to the society you are in,” he argued.
Thursday’s inauguration of the mosque was shunned by far-right leaders and several Danish politicians over funds from the gas-rich Qatar.
Read more: Abna
