TALLINN - Christian groups have reacted angrily to renewed plans for a mosque to be built in Tallinn, reigniting a longstanding debate in the capital.
Sheikh Sultan bin Muhammad Al-Qasimi, ruler of the Sharjah emirate of the United Arab Emirates, has written to the Tallinn city government requesting land to construct a mosque and an Islamic cultural center. The letter discloses that the chief cleric of the Muslim community in Estonia, Ildar Muhhamedshin, met with Al-Qasimi and asked for his support in the construction of a mosque.
"We are requesting the allocation of a suitable plot of land to build a mosque and a cultural center and hope that this will become a strong motive for strengthening the ties between our countries," the letter states.
The concept of building a mosque in Tallinn surfaced in 2000, when Habib Gulijev, a representative of the Azeri community in Estonia, announced a similar plan. This move was met by strong opposition from the Christian People's Party of Estonia (now the Estonian Democratic Christian Party or EKD), which produced a 2,000-signature petition seeking to reject the project.
Eight years later, the EKD's stance remains the same. Peeter Vosu, the international secretary of the EKD and chairman of the European Christian Political Movement, told The Baltic Times that the new proposal should be taken as a threat.
"I see this as a threat. I think that often people are very theoretical, [they think] that 'Okay, it's a peaceful religion.' But practically speaking we see that anywhere in the world where there has been a mosque it also becomes a center for those forces against peace and becomes a danger to society, people who would like to make society unstable," Vosu said.
"They are using Shariah law for their own community behavior in many ways 's often this is against the principles of Western society. We've had honor killings in Germany, in Sweden, and often they don't see this as a crime, even," he said.
In stark contrast, the Muslim community claims to only want a place to pray. Speaking on behalf of her husband, the chief cleric, Iman Makhmutova told The Baltic Times, "Of course all people need a place to pray."
"[Muslims] have lived in Estonia for about 200 years, and before World War II they had a mosque in Narva. We are not Arabic people, we are Estonian people 's we have lived here for generations. I don't know why some people are afraid of the mosque," she said.
The actual Estonian Muslim population is contentious in itself; official statistics place the figure at 1,387, but the Central Europe Review pins the number at 10,000, and further still, the Muslim American Society estimates 20,000. With the liberalization of immigration policy these figures are bound to increase, bringing increased significance to the mosque situation.
What is clear, however, is that Islam has a significant cultural presence in Estonia. The Koran was translated into Estonian in December 2007 and stayed on the bestsellers list for months.
While heated public debate will continue, it is now up to the Tallinn city government to decide how to respond to the request.
