Eastern Germany's First Mosque Opens

A new mosque has opened in Berlin  the first in former East Germany. Just blocks away, some 300 people demonstrated against what they called the "Islamization of Europe."

Located in Berlin's Pankow district, the 1.6 million-euro ($2.15-million) mosque has a 12-meter (39-foot) high minaret and can hold 500 worshippers.

Built for members of the Ahmadiyya Moslem community, the mosque was inaugurated on Thursday, Oct. 16, with a celebration attended by approximately 300 people, including Berlin mayor Klaus Wowereit.

According to Wowereit, the mosque symbolizes "religious and cultural tolerance" in Berlin. His comments may have been overly optimistic, though, given that hundreds of protesting residents and far rightists were gathered only blocks away from the site.

The demonstrators held banners with statements such as, "Stop the Islamization of Europe" and "Stop the Abuse of Religious Freedom." A petition against the construction of the mosque had also gathered some 20,000 signatures.

Construction plagued by vandalism

The Ahmadiyya mosque has been a source of controversy since its building plans were announced in 2006, with attacks on the site hindering its construction.

Ijaz Ahmad, spokesperson for the mosque, is hopeful however that the new two-story building will help bring clashing Moslems and non-Moslems in Berlin closer together.

"The mosque will be a hub of social activity, not just for praying," she said. "It will play a role in boosting integration and promoting dialogue with politicians and other religious groups."

A local citizens' group doesn't seem to see integration in the cards though. "We have a big problem with sects that put religion above everything else, allow the beating of women and deny equal rights," the group said on its Web site.

Moslems seek asylum in Germany

Berlin is home to about 220,000 Moslems, with only 200 belonging to the Ahmadiyyah community. Ahmadiyyah's Moslem roots are a source of debate, however, as it is not recognized by some mainstream Moslem groups on account of different beliefs.

"I don't find it (the mosque) very good, because we are not allowed to build churches in Turkey," said Gudrun Brese, a retiree who lives near the mosque. "I have a problem with that."

Ahmadis follow the Quran and the Prophet Muhammad, but also consider their community's founder - Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, born in Qadian, India in 1835 - to be the messiah and a "humble servant of Islam" who sought to reform Islamic practice.

According to the Ahmadiyyah group, it has 30,000 members in Germany, many of whom came to the country seeking asylum from religious persecution in Pakistan and other Islamic countries.

Berlin's mayor said the mosque symbolizes 'religious and cultural tolerance'  yes on the part of Germans but not the Moslems and as the Muzis get get stronger their tolerance diminishes. Little by little the Europeans are burying themselves. There are already more mosques than churches in Berlin.