Cologne Central Mosque

The Cologne Central Mosque (German: DITIB-Zentralmoschee Köln, Turkish: Merkez-Camii) is a building commissioned by German Muslims of the Organization DITIB for a large, representative Zentralmoschee (central mosque)[1] in Cologne, Germany. This mosque is being inaugurated by Turkish President Erdogan. After controversy, the project won the approval of Cologne's city council.[2]

مشروع مسجد كولونيا
Cologne Central Mosque
Cologne Mosque in April 2015
Religion
AffiliationSunni Islam
Location
LocationEhrenfeld, Cologne
Germany
Geographic coordinates50°56′44″N 6°55′42″E
Architecture
Architect(s)Paul Böhm
TypeMosque
StyleModern
Completed2017
Construction cost€17-20 million
Website
www.ditib.de/

The mosque is designed in non-Ottoman architectural style, with glass walls, two minarets and a dome. The mosque is proposed to have a bazaar as well as other secular areas intended for interfaith interactions. As the mosque will be one of Europe's biggest mosques, and the largest mosque in Germany,[3] it has been criticized by some, particularly for the height of the minarets.[4]

Design

The 48,000-square-foot (4,500 m2) mosque cost £15–20 million to build,[5] aiming to house 2,000 to 4,000 worshippers.[6][7] The mosque is funded by Diyanet İşleri Türk İslam Birliği (DITIB), a branch of the Turkish government's religious affairs authority,[8] bank loans, and donations from 884 Muslim associations.[7] Cologne's St. Theodore Catholic Church has also decided to fundraise for the mosque.[9] The architects of the mosque are Gottfried Böhm and his son Paul Böhm,[10] who specializes in building churches.[11]

The mosque is not in the Ottoman architecture style. It has a concrete and glass dome, and two 55 meter high minarets.[8] The mosque has the bazaar and entrance on the ground floor, lecture halls in the basement, the prayer area on the upper floor and include a Muslim library.[6] A well is placed in the centre to connect the two levels and create a pleasant atmosphere. The mosque consists of flat-like wall screens which form a dome in the centre.[1]

It also has glass walls, which according to DITIB spokesman Alboga give visitors a feeling of openness.[12] According to the architect, openness is further enhanced by an inviting staircase from the street.[11] The developers have required that the secular areas of the mosque (e.g. the restaurant, event halls and stores) be open to people of all religions.[11] A plan welcomed by then mayor of Cologne Fritz Schramma to build shorter minarets was dropped after the architects said the plan would leave the minarets out of proportion with the rest of the building and surrounding structures.[4]

Opening

The inauguration of the mosque was controversial as the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs neglected to invite mayor of Cologne Henriette Reker to the event. The failure to invite officials of Cologne municipality was interpreted as the mosque representing a growing Turkish parallel society in Germany and lacking respect for German institutions. President of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdoğan attended and held a speech at the event.[13][14]

Controversy

The project has been opposed by author Ralph Giordano,[5] right-wingers, Jörg Uckermann, then local district's deputy mayor, has criticized the project saying that "We don't want to build a Turkish ghetto in Ehrenfeld. I know about Londonistan and I don't want that here."[5]

Markus Wiener of the far-right activist group Pro Cologne,[15] expressed his fear that the Cologne mosque will empower the Muslim population too much.[16]

On June 16, 2007, 200 people gathered in a protest organized by Pro Cologne against the mosque including representatives from the Austrian Freedom Party and the Belgian Vlaams Belang.[6][17] Then district deputy mayor Uckermann seconded that he thinks many residents reject the mosque because they believe that Cologne is a “Christian city”.[18] Author Ralph Giordano stated that he opposed the project as the mosque would be “an expression of the creeping Islamization of our land”, a “declaration of war”,[16] and that he wouldn't want to see women wearing headscarfs on German streets, likening their appearance to “human penguins”. Henryk M. Broder, a journalist, disagrees with Giordano's metaphor but said that “A mosque is more than a church or a synagogue. It is a political statement.”[17] Giordano's remarks have turned the local dispute into a national debate about the place of Islam in Germany.[17] and other prominent Germans criticized the project as well. District mayor Uckermann stated that Giordano's comments “broke down the wall. Before if you criticised this monstrous mosque you were a Nazi. But we have a problem with the integration of Muslims. It's a question of language and culture.”[5] Uckermann left the conservative CDU for right-wing Pro Cologne in 2008 after being voted out of office as the district's deputy mayor and reportedly facing party exclusion.[19]

The state of construction of the Cologne Mosque in April 2011

The city's official for integration Marlis Bredehorst stated that "it is important that the Muslims here get dignified houses of prayer" and added that "two hundred years ago, the Protestants had to pray secretively in Catholic Cologne [...] that is something we can't imagine anymore today."[6] The city's mayor, Fritz Schramma, who supports the project said that “For me, it is self-evident that the Muslims need to have a prestigious place of worship, but it bothers me when people have lived here for 35 years and they don’t speak a single word of German.”[17] Christian leaders have taken similarly ambivalent stances: the Catholic Church has long supported the project, though recently Cardinal Joachim Meisner, Archbishop of Cologne, has been more cautious: when asked if he was afraid of the mosque, he said, “I don't want to say I'm afraid, but I have an uneasy feeling.”[12] He also stated that Turkey should allow its Christian minorities equivalent rights. He said the mosque would change the skyline of Cologne.[8] Wolfgang Huber, Germany's top Protestant bishop, criticized the “male domination” he saw in Islam and said Muslims should be able to convert to Christianity without fearing reprisals[8] and the penalty of death.

Public opinion seems “guardedly supportive, with a majority of residents saying they favor it”.[12] A poll taken by a local newspaper among 500 Cologne residents showed that the project is supported by 63%, of whom 27% want its size to be reduced.[17][20]

A protest planned by Pro Cologne for September 20, 2008 was canceled by police at the last minute in the interest of public safety, after clashes between police and protestors.[21][22]

On August 28, 2008, the Cologne City Council voted to approve the construction of the mosque. this position was taken by all parties except the Christian democrats (CDU). Outside the hall, a group of 30 protesters demonstrated against the approval, while 100 demonstrated in favor of it.[2]

The Cologne mosque project has been contrasted with a less controversial project in Duisburg, Germany: in Duisburg, there was co-operation and good communication from an early stage between German politicians, church and community leaders and the developers of the mosque.[16][23]

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See also

References
  1. Böhm, Plul. "ZENTRALMOSCHEE KÖLN" (in German). Archived from the original on 2007-09-14. Retrieved 2007-09-16. (English translation)
  2. Jenkner, Carolyn. "Go-Ahead for Germany's Biggest Mosque," Spiegel Online. August 29, 2008.
  3. "How Recep Tayyip Erdogan seduces Turkish migrants in Europe". The Economist. 31 August 2017. Retrieved 2 September 2017.
  4. "Plans to lower height of Cologne mosque dropped". expatica.com. Archived from the original on 2013-01-22. Retrieved 2008-12-10.
  5. Harry de Quetteville. "Huge mosque stirs protests in Cologne". Telegraph, June 26, 2007.
  6. Grieshaber, Kirsten.Tempers flare in German mosque dispute. Associated Press, July 4, 2007.
  7. Burke, Jason (July 15, 2007). "Mosque stirs racial passion in Germany". The Guardian. London. Retrieved April 30, 2010.
  8. Turks’ plans to build mosque in Germany divides religions Archived 2007-09-30 at the Wayback Machine. Today's Zaman. Retrieved July 8, 2007
  9. "Catholic church collects money for mosque". Expatica. March 16, 2007. Archived from the original on December 13, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  10. "Mosque project stirs concerns about the integration of Islam in Germany". Detroit Free Press. August 22, 2007. Archived from the original on October 18, 2007. Retrieved 2007-09-16.
  11. "Muslims Should Not Try to Hide". Qantara. October 5, 2006. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  12. Effort to build a large mosque rattles some in Cologne. International Herald Tribune
  13. Burger, Reiner. "Kölner Oberbürgermeisterin: Reker beklagt mangelnden Respekt von Ditib". FAZ.NET (in German). ISSN 0174-4909. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  14. Frigelj, Kristian (2018-09-27). "Erdogan in Köln: Reker wirft Ditib mangelnden Respekt vor". DIE WELT. Retrieved 2018-10-12.
  15. Killguss, Hans-Peter; Peters, Jürgen; Häusler, Alexander (2008). "PRO KÖLN – Entstehung und Aktivitäten". In Häusler, Alexander (ed.). Rechtspopulismus als "Bürgerbewegung": Kampagnen gegen Islam und Moscheebau und kommunale Gegenstrategien. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. pp. 55–71, S. 55. ISBN 978-3-531-91119-9..
    Häusler, Alexander (2008). "Politische Programmatik von PRO NRW". In Häusler, Alexander (ed.). Rechtspopulismus als "Bürgerbewegung": Kampagnen gegen Islam und Moscheebau und kommunale Gegenstrategien. Wiesbaden: VS Verlag für Sozialwissenschaften. pp. 88–93, S. 90 [90]. ISBN 978-3-531-91119-9.
  16. Harris, Emily (October 11, 2007). "Two Mosques, Two Different Reactions in Germany". National Public Radio. Retrieved 2007-12-02.
  17. Germans Split Over a Mosque and the Role of Islam. New York Times
  18. Mosque project stirs concerns about the integration of Islam in Germany. Chicago Tribune. August 22, 2007.
  19. Schmalenberg, Detlef (20 May 2008). "Jörg Uckermann: Eine zweifelhafte Karriere" [Jörg Uckermann: a dubious career]. www.ksta.de (in German). Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger. Archived from the original on 3 August 2012. Retrieved 29 October 2011.
  20. Omniquest: Neubau einer Zentralmoschee in Ehrenfeld Archived 2011-09-28 at the Wayback Machine (PDF), published Kölner Stadtanzeiger, Juni 19, 2007
  21. "Street clashes erupt in Germany". BBC. 20 September 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  22. "German citizens protest against anti-Islam congress in Cologne". Afp.google.com. Sep 20, 2008. Archived from the original on 2008-09-29. Retrieved 2008-10-31.
  23. "Constructing conflict". The Economist. August 30, 2007. Retrieved 2007-12-02.

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