New mosque to come up in heart of Munich

DUBAI — The city centre of Munich will soon have a 4,500 sq metre mosque that will be built facing a Catholic church, said the head of a cultural committee that works to strengthen the ties of the Muslims with other communities in Germany.

By Omer Zakieldin

Published: Wed 22 Aug 2007, 9:01 AM

Last updated: Sun 5 Apr 2015, 1:57 AM

Heinrich Klier, president of the Munich-based Cultural Cooperation Committee, claimed this would be the first time a European city will have a mosque in its centre, signifying the acceptance of Islam by the people of Munich.

Klier was talking to Khaleej Times during his recent visit to Dubai.

“There are more than 40 mosques in Munich for the nearly 100,000 Muslims living in the city. Only two of these mosques are in the main parts of the city. The new mosque will be the first in the inner city. Its presence will change the perception of Islam in Munich, telling everybody that Islam now belongs to the city and has become part of it,” explained Klier.

The construction of the mosque as a symbol of integration was the reason why the Mayor of Munich and its city council so strongly backed the project, Klier asserted.

“Mayor Christian Ude gave his ardent support towards the project and has managed to overcome resistance from conservative groups opposed to the idea,” he noted.

The mosque will be located a five-minute distance from Munich’s railway station in the old city quarter of Sendling on a square opposite a Catholic church. A bid was held for the right to design the building, and it was won by architect Walter Hoefler.

A Turkish Islamic Centre is piloting the project to construct the mosque together with an administration building, restaurant, shops and a place for funeral service. There will be a space for some 440 worshippers, with the possibility of extending the space to allow prayer for up to 1,000 people on special religious occasions.

Klier revealed that the mosque, estimated to cost 18million euros, will be financed through a number of ways. Equity being one, where an old mosque elsewhere in the city was purchased by the city council and the centre in charge of the project bought the spot on Sendling square. Voluntary contributions of those involved in the building project will also be used, as well as donations from sponsors. “We still haven’t found a name for the mosque, so we are still open to suggestions,” said Klier.

According to Klier, 55,000 UAE nationals, mostly tourists and property-owners, visit Munich every year. Klier, who had previously lived and worked in Dubai for seven years, spoke recently to a few of his UAE friends who were happy at the prospect of a mosque in central Munich as it would save them having to go to the city’s outskirts.

Klier noted that the location of the mosque would serve inter-faith dialogue in Germany very well: “We want to show people that we need to understand each other. Some people in Germany have had concerns about Muslims after 9/11. Yet, there are many people in Germany who are unaware of the things in common between Islam and Christianity.”