Stockholm Mosque
Encyclopedia
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan's Mosque , commonly known as the Stockholm Mosque (Stockholms moské) or the Stockholm Grand Mosque (Stockholms stora moské), is the largest mosque
in Stockholm
, Sweden
. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård
, in the Södermalm
district of Stockholm. Inaugurated in 2000, the mosque is administered by the Islamic Association in Stockholm.
, Kristineberg, Skärholmen, Tensta
and Jarlaplan. In March 1995 the city council in Stockholm decided, after first consulting Muslim leaders, to convert the old electric power station Katarinastationen ("the Katarina Station") into a mosque. The listed building, designed by the Art Nouveau
architect Ferdinand Boberg
and completed in 1903, was already influenced by "Moorish" Islamic architecture
in its original version. Boberg had been inspired after a visit to Morocco
and made the building turned to Mecca
and with tall window vaults.
In 1996 the building was sold by the city of Stockholm to the Islamic Association in Stockholm for SEK
8 million. However, the building of the mosque was delayed due to protests and appeals, and construction began first in 1999. On 8 June 2000 the mosque was inaugurated. The mosque was built with financial support from the individual Muslims in Sweden and abroad. One of the largest financiers was Sheikh
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, principal founder and former head of state of the United Arab Emirates
, whom the mosque was named after.
Islamist
scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi
was invited to speak at the mosque in a conference arranged by the European Council for Fatwa and Research
(founded by al-Qaradawi). Also present at the conference was Rashid Ghannouchi, leader of the then banned Tunisia
n Islamist party Ennahda. An article in Svenska Dagbladet
said that critics of the European Council had stated that it had ties to the Sunni movement Muslim Brotherhood
, and that the leadership of the mosque was influenced by it. Imam Halawa of the European Council responded that his organization's purpose was to help European Muslims
to integrate
in a positive way.
Liberal Party
politician Fredrik Malm
claims that during the conference al-Qaradawi expressed his support of suicide attack
s against Israeli civilians and called holy war
. Malm further claims that al-Qaradawi said that deaths of children were not deliberate but a product of the necessities of war. The sermon was reported to the police by Malm.
wrote an article in Svenska Dagbladet
where he alleged that the mosque had deliberately mistranslated and/or left out controversial parts of the Arabic
–Swedish
translations of the sermon
s held in the mosque by Imam
Hassan Moussa
. For example, Karam alleged that the phrases implying the United States rapes Islam were mistranslated into phrases that implied the condemnation US torture of Iraqi prisoners. Karam stated that the Imam called Ahmed Yassin
a martyr
and made anti-American remarks. The mosque dismissed the allegations, saying that they had only left out certain parts due to lack of time.
stated that a bookshop located in the mosque had sold audio tapes with harsh antisemitic content. On one of the tapes, with the assassinated Hamas
leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
on its cover, Sveriges Radio said that Jews were described as a "disease", the "brothers of ape
s and pig
s" and that the "only solution" to the Jews was Jihad
. The radio further stated that there were calls for the extermination of Jews. The mosque spokesperson stated that people of volunteered at mosques often sent cassettes to the mosque and that he did not know about these cassettes presence.
The Swedish Chancellor of Justice, Göran Lambertz
, decided to convey a preliminary investigation regarding hate speech
. During the police raid a number of cassettes, CD-discs and a video tape were confiscated. On 2 January 2006, Chancellor of Justice Lambertz decided to close the investigation. According to Lambertz the statements made on the tapes were, although "highly critical of the Jews", not a violation of Swedish law and because they have to be viewed "in the light of the historical and present conflict in the Middle East
." Lambertz' decision was strongly criticised by, among others, the major Jewish associations in Sweden, the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
and several prominent Swedish journalists and authors. An appeal, to make Lambertz review the decision, was also started and was signed by over 3,000 people. Despite this, Lambertz decided not to review the decision.
Mosque
A mosque is a place of worship for followers of Islam. The word is likely to have entered the English language through French , from Portuguese , from Spanish , and from Berber , ultimately originating in — . The Arabic word masjid literally means a place of prostration...
in Stockholm
Stockholm
Stockholm is the capital and the largest city of Sweden and constitutes the most populated urban area in Scandinavia. Stockholm is the most populous city in Sweden, with a population of 851,155 in the municipality , 1.37 million in the urban area , and around 2.1 million in the metropolitan area...
, Sweden
Sweden
Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....
. It is located at Kapellgränd 10, adjacent to the small park Björns trädgård
Björns trädgård
Björns trädgård , is a small public park in Södermalm in Stockholm, named after Carl Gustaf Björn, a gardener. His son, Carl Fredrik Björn, known as "Rike Björn" , inherited the garden in the 1880s, and donated the garden to the city in his will upon his death in 1915...
, in the Södermalm
Södermalm
Södermalm, often shortened to "Söder", is a district in central Stockholm. It covers the large island formerly called "Åsön". With a population of 99,685, it is one of the most densely populated districts of Scandinavia...
district of Stockholm. Inaugurated in 2000, the mosque is administered by the Islamic Association in Stockholm.
History
Discussions for a new mosque in the Stockholm area had been going on for over twenty years before the plans were realized in 2000. The first proposal was to use the building Borgerskapets änkhus at Norrtull. Other places that were discussed were ObservatorielundenObservatorielunden
Observatorielunden is a park in Stockholm's Vasastaden district. It stretches over the steep hill Observatoriekullen, one of the last remnants of Brunkebergsåsen, the esker that once reached across much of Norrmalm but was mostly levelled during the development of that district...
, Kristineberg, Skärholmen, Tensta
Tensta
Tensta is a district in Spånga-Tensta borough, Stockholm, Sweden. There are about 6,000 apartments in Tensta and a population of 17,083 as of December 31, 2007....
and Jarlaplan. In March 1995 the city council in Stockholm decided, after first consulting Muslim leaders, to convert the old electric power station Katarinastationen ("the Katarina Station") into a mosque. The listed building, designed by the Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
architect Ferdinand Boberg
Ferdinand Boberg
Ferdinand Boberg, born 11 April 1860 in Falun, died 7 May 1946 in Stockholm, was a Swedish architect.He was one of the most productive and prominent architects of Stockholm around the turn of the 20th century. Among his most famous work is an electrical plant at Björns Trädgård in Stockholm, that...
and completed in 1903, was already influenced by "Moorish" Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
in its original version. Boberg had been inspired after a visit to Morocco
Morocco
Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...
and made the building turned to Mecca
Mecca
Mecca is a city in the Hijaz and the capital of Makkah province in Saudi Arabia. The city is located inland from Jeddah in a narrow valley at a height of above sea level...
and with tall window vaults.
In 1996 the building was sold by the city of Stockholm to the Islamic Association in Stockholm for SEK
Swedish krona
The krona has been the currency of Sweden since 1873. Both the ISO code "SEK" and currency sign "kr" are in common use; the former precedes or follows the value, the latter usually follows it, but especially in the past, it sometimes preceded the value...
8 million. However, the building of the mosque was delayed due to protests and appeals, and construction began first in 1999. On 8 June 2000 the mosque was inaugurated. The mosque was built with financial support from the individual Muslims in Sweden and abroad. One of the largest financiers was Sheikh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, principal founder and former head of state of the United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates
The United Arab Emirates, abbreviated as the UAE, or shortened to "the Emirates", is a state situated in the southeast of the Arabian Peninsula in Western Asia on the Persian Gulf, bordering Oman, and Saudi Arabia, and sharing sea borders with Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, and Iran.The UAE is a...
, whom the mosque was named after.
European Council for Fatwa and Research conference
In July 2003 the EgyptianEgyptians
Egyptians are nation an ethnic group made up of Mediterranean North Africans, the indigenous people of Egypt.Egyptian identity is closely tied to geography. The population of Egypt is concentrated in the lower Nile Valley, the small strip of cultivable land stretching from the First Cataract to...
Islamist
Islamism
Islamism also , lit., "Political Islam" is set of ideologies holding that Islam is not only a religion but also a political system. Islamism is a controversial term, and definitions of it sometimes vary...
scholar Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi
Yusuf al-Qaradawi is a controversial Egyptian Islamic theologian. He is best known for his programme, ash-Shariah wal-Hayat , broadcast on Al Jazeera, which has an estimated audience of 60 million worldwide...
was invited to speak at the mosque in a conference arranged by the European Council for Fatwa and Research
European Council for Fatwa and Research
The European Council for Fatwa and Research is a Dublin-based private foundation, founded in London on 29 March - 30 March 1997 on the initiative of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe...
(founded by al-Qaradawi). Also present at the conference was Rashid Ghannouchi, leader of the then banned Tunisia
Tunisia
Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...
n Islamist party Ennahda. An article in Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
said that critics of the European Council had stated that it had ties to the Sunni movement Muslim Brotherhood
Muslim Brotherhood
The Society of the Muslim Brothers is the world's oldest and one of the largest Islamist parties, and is the largest political opposition organization in many Arab states. It was founded in 1928 in Egypt by the Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna and by the late 1940s had an...
, and that the leadership of the mosque was influenced by it. Imam Halawa of the European Council responded that his organization's purpose was to help European Muslims
Islam in Europe
This article deals with the history and evolution of the presence of Islam in Europe. According to the German , the total number of Muslims in Europe in 2007 was about 53 million , excluding Turkey. The total number of Muslims in the European Union in 2007 was about 16 million .-Early history:Islam...
to integrate
Social integration
Social integration, in sociology and other social sciences, is the movement of minority groups such as ethnic minorities, refugees and underprivileged sections of a society into the mainstream of societies...
in a positive way.
Liberal Party
Liberal People's Party (Sweden)
The Liberal People's Party is a political party in Sweden. The party advocates social liberalism and is part of the governing centre-right coalition The Alliance, which achieved a majority in the general election of 17 September 2006...
politician Fredrik Malm
Fredrik Malm
Carl Fredrik Malm is a Swedish politician and Member of Parliament for the Liberal People's Party. He was chairperson of the Liberal Youth of Sweden from 2002 to 2006....
claims that during the conference al-Qaradawi expressed his support of suicide attack
Suicide attack
A suicide attack is a type of attack in which the attacker expects or intends to die in the process.- Historical :...
s against Israeli civilians and called holy war
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
. Malm further claims that al-Qaradawi said that deaths of children were not deliberate but a product of the necessities of war. The sermon was reported to the police by Malm.
Sermon translations
In May 2004 the journalist Salam KaramSalam Karam
Salam Kamel Karam is a Swedish journalist.Salam Karam was born in Baghdad in Iraq. He speaks fluent Arabic as well as Swedish. He has a bachelor's degree in Middle-Eastern studies from Uppsala University. He has worked as a Middle East reporter for the newspaper Svenska Dagbladet and in the radio...
wrote an article in Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet
Svenska Dagbladet is a daily newspaper in Sweden. The first issue appeared on 18 December 1884. Svenska Dagbladet is published in Stockholm and provides coverage of national and international news as well as local coverage of the Greater Stockholm region...
where he alleged that the mosque had deliberately mistranslated and/or left out controversial parts of the Arabic
Arabic language
Arabic is a name applied to the descendants of the Classical Arabic language of the 6th century AD, used most prominently in the Quran, the Islamic Holy Book...
–Swedish
Swedish language
Swedish is a North Germanic language, spoken by approximately 10 million people, predominantly in Sweden and parts of Finland, especially along its coast and on the Åland islands. It is largely mutually intelligible with Norwegian and Danish...
translations of the sermon
Sermon
A sermon is an oration by a prophet or member of the clergy. Sermons address a Biblical, theological, religious, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law or behavior within both past and present contexts...
s held in the mosque by Imam
Imam
An imam is an Islamic leadership position, often the worship leader of a mosque and the Muslim community. Similar to spiritual leaders, the imam is the one who leads Islamic worship services. More often, the community turns to the mosque imam if they have a religious question...
Hassan Moussa
Hassan Moussa
Sheikh Hassan Moussa is the leading imam of the Stockholm Mosque at Medborgarplatsen. The mosque is run by the Islamiska Förbundet i Stockholm. A Svenska Dagbladet report accused him of deliberately misleading the Swedish public regarding the controversial contents of his sermons.-Notes:...
. For example, Karam alleged that the phrases implying the United States rapes Islam were mistranslated into phrases that implied the condemnation US torture of Iraqi prisoners. Karam stated that the Imam called Ahmed Yassin
Ahmed Yassin
Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization...
a martyr
Martyr
A martyr is somebody who suffers persecution and death for refusing to renounce, or accept, a belief or cause, usually religious.-Meaning:...
and made anti-American remarks. The mosque dismissed the allegations, saying that they had only left out certain parts due to lack of time.
Yassin tapes
In November 2005 Sveriges RadioSveriges Radio
Sveriges Radio AB – Swedish Radio Ltd – is Sweden's national publicly funded radio broadcaster. The Swedish public-broadcasting system is in many respects modelled after the one used in the United Kingdom, and Sveriges Radio - like Sveriges Television - shares many characteristics with...
stated that a bookshop located in the mosque had sold audio tapes with harsh antisemitic content. On one of the tapes, with the assassinated Hamas
Hamas
Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamic or Islamist political party that governs the Gaza Strip. Hamas also has a military wing, the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades...
leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
Ahmed Yassin
Sheikh Ahmed Ismail Hassan Yassin was a founder of Hamas, an Islamist Palestinian paramilitary organization and political party. Yassin also served as the spiritual leader of the organization...
on its cover, Sveriges Radio said that Jews were described as a "disease", the "brothers of ape
Ape
Apes are Old World anthropoid mammals, more specifically a clade of tailless catarrhine primates, belonging to the biological superfamily Hominoidea. The apes are native to Africa and South-east Asia, although in relatively recent times humans have spread all over the world...
s and pig
Pig
A pig is any of the animals in the genus Sus, within the Suidae family of even-toed ungulates. Pigs include the domestic pig, its ancestor the wild boar, and several other wild relatives...
s" and that the "only solution" to the Jews was Jihad
Jihad
Jihad , an Islamic term, is a religious duty of Muslims. In Arabic, the word jihād translates as a noun meaning "struggle". Jihad appears 41 times in the Quran and frequently in the idiomatic expression "striving in the way of God ". A person engaged in jihad is called a mujahid; the plural is...
. The radio further stated that there were calls for the extermination of Jews. The mosque spokesperson stated that people of volunteered at mosques often sent cassettes to the mosque and that he did not know about these cassettes presence.
The Swedish Chancellor of Justice, Göran Lambertz
Göran Lambertz
Lars Göran Tomas Lambertz was the Chancellor of Justice in Sweden between 2001 and 2009. He is currently serving as a judge on the supreme court.- Biography :...
, decided to convey a preliminary investigation regarding hate speech
Hate speech
Hate speech is, outside the law, any communication that disparages a person or a group on the basis of some characteristic such as race, color, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, nationality, religion, or other characteristic....
. During the police raid a number of cassettes, CD-discs and a video tape were confiscated. On 2 January 2006, Chancellor of Justice Lambertz decided to close the investigation. According to Lambertz the statements made on the tapes were, although "highly critical of the Jews", not a violation of Swedish law and because they have to be viewed "in the light of the historical and present conflict in the Middle East
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
The Israeli–Palestinian conflict is the ongoing conflict between Israelis and Palestinians. The conflict is wide-ranging, and the term is also used in reference to the earlier phases of the same conflict, between Jewish and Zionist yishuv and the Arab population living in Palestine under Ottoman or...
." Lambertz' decision was strongly criticised by, among others, the major Jewish associations in Sweden, the Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism
The Swedish Committee Against Antisemitism is a Sweden-based non-profit organization, founded in 1983, that works to counteract and spread knowledge about antisemitism. The organization claims political and religious independence.-History:...
and several prominent Swedish journalists and authors. An appeal, to make Lambertz review the decision, was also started and was signed by over 3,000 people. Despite this, Lambertz decided not to review the decision.
Capacity
The mosque can accommodate 2,000 people and the building includes a library, bookshop, gym, offices, lecture halls and a large kitchen. The building also has a restaurant.External links
- Islamiska förbundet i Stockholm, official website
- Stockholms moské
- Some images in the Islam Utbildning website