Grand Mosque of Copenhagen

Grand Mosque of Copenhagen
Moskeen i Rovsingsgade
Basic information
Location Copenhagen, Denmark
Affiliation Sunni Islam
Architectural description
Architect(s) Jan Wenzel, Lars Tuxen
Architectural type Mosque
Completed June 2014
Specifications
Capacity 3,000
Minaret(s) 1

The Grand Mosque of Copenhagen, officially known as the Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilisation Center, is a mosque in the Outer Nørrebro borough of Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in 2014, it is the first purposely-built mosque in Denmark and one of the largest in Europe.[1][2]

History

In September 2013, as the mosque was still under construction, critics rose about the plan to broadcast the official Hamas-run television channel Al-Aqsa TV in the media center of the mosque, Hamas being blacklisted as a terrorist organization in the European Union (of which Denmark is a member).[3]

In June 2014, the Danish Islamic Council opened the Grand Mosque of Copenhagen (officially Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilisation Center, after the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani), the country's largest mosque, and the first one with a minaret. Qatar provided $27 million to finance the construction, which led the Danish People's Party to express their concerns about potential Qatari interference of in Danish domestic affairs.[4]

It was agreed with the municipality of Copenhagen that the minaret would not be used to broadcast a call to prayer.[5]

The group Stop Islamisation of Denmark had planned to protest in front of the building the day of its opening, but was banned by the police.[6]

Description

The mosque was designed by the Danish architects Jan Wenzel & Lars Tuxen[3] and is the property of the Danish Islamic Council. It has the capacity to host 3,000 people indoors, and an extra 1,500 in an inner courtyard. The mosque's exterior is made of titanium, glass and polished concrete. Many architectural elements symbolize the link of the building with Mecca.[7]

See also

References

  1. ↑ The Grand Mosque of Copenhagen, The Copenhagen Post, April 26, 2007
  2. ↑ http://cphpost.dk/news/politicians-and-royals-steering-clear-of-grand-mosque-s-opening.9890.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  3. 1 2 Joshua Levitt (8 September 2013). "New Copenhagen Mosque May Break Anti-Terror Rules by Rebroadcasting Hamas-Controlled Al-Aqsa TV". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  4. ↑ "Denmark's first 'real' mosque opens, bankrolled by Qatar". Timesofisrael.com. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  5. ↑ Burchardt, Marian; Michalowski, Ines (2014). After Integration: Islam, Conviviality and Contentious Politics in Europe. Springer. pp. 175–176. ISBN 9783658025946.
  6. ↑ United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2014). "Denmark 2014 international religious freedom report" (PDF). State.gov. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
  7. ↑ "Grand Mosque Project Concept and Design: Jan Wenzel and Lars Tuxen" (PDF). Jenzel-tuxen.com. Retrieved 4 February 2018.


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