European Mosque Plans Face Protests

August 5, 2007

Author: Tom Heneghan

Source: Reuters

http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL3145702520070806?pageNumber=1

Petitions in London, protests in Cologne, a court case in Marseille and a violent clash in Berlin -- Muslims in Europe are meeting resistance to plans for mosques that befit Islam's status as the continent's second religion.

Across Europe, Muslims who have long prayed in garages and old factories now face skepticism and concern for wanting to build stately mosques to give proud testimony to the faith and solidity of their Islamic communities.

Some critics reject them as signs of "Islamisation". Others say minarets would scar their city's skyline. Given the role some mosques have played as centers for terrorists, others see Muslim houses of worship as potential security threats.