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Malik defined that the brand new mosque must be a home of prayer, but in addition of dialogue and mutual respect: “It should build bridges.” Thuringia’s Prime Minister Mario Voigt (CDU) congratulated by way of video message and spoke of a day of nice pleasure. Religion can also be an expression of dwelling, and he’s happy that the Ahmadiyya group has put down roots and located a house right here.

Bundestag Vice President Bodo Ramelow wished the congregation a “powerful start to their faith work and that this place is not smeared, desecrated and discriminated against.” He recalled anti-Islamic protests that accompanied the development interval and debates concerning the decorative minaret, which some described as a “threat to freedom”. Ramelow had strongly supported the mission throughout his time as Prime Minister.

Since the development mission was introduced, there have been repeated, generally large, Islamophobic protests. Opponents of the mosque erected meter-high protest crosses and skewered pig carcasses on the positioning in the summertime of 2017.

Erfurt’s mayor Andreas Horn (CDU) spoke of a brand new, seen place for spiritual life within the metropolis. He would love the mosque to turn out to be a gathering place. The Ahmadiyya Federal Chairman Abdullah Uwe Wagishauser mentioned: “When we inaugurated the first mosque in East Berlin in 2008, we were alone. But here in Erfurt we were never alone.”

The Catholic Bishop Ulrich Neymeyr, the Protestant regional bishop Friedrich Kramer and the chairman of the Jewish regional group, Reinhard Schramm, additionally took half within the ceremony. When requested, Neymeyr mentioned he was pleased that the Ahmadiyya group now had a mosque. At the identical time, he hopes that the opening will ship a constructive sign for spiritual freedom in different international locations, the place Christians are generally not allowed to construct homes of worship.

The basis stone for the mosque was laid in 2018. It is positioned on the outskirts of Erfurt in an industrial space. The constructing, which features a easy prayer room and an condo for the imam, was financed solely from donations and reportedly value 1.4 million euros. On Sunday, the Mahmud Mosque will open its doorways to the broader public on “Open Mosque Day” from 10 a.m. to six p.m.

The Ahmadiyya group sees itself as a world Islamic reform motion, however is just not acknowledged and generally persecuted by many different Muslim actions. According to its personal info, it has round 60,000 members nationwide and maintains greater than 60 mosques.