Turkish mosque under construction in France receives threat letter
Europe’s largest mosque under construction in the French city of Strasbourg received a letter containing death threats and insults, according to a report on Thursday.
The Eyüp Sultan Mosque, currently under construction by the Islamic Confederation of Milli Görüş (CIMG), received the letter on Wednesday.
The anonymous letter, titled “Declaration of War”, claimed that there was no place for Islam in France and that Muslims living in the country had to choose between their religion or France.
“Of course a majority of your congregation would choose Islam. So why are you still in France?” said the letter.
The letter also called on Muslims to prepare for “unprecedented attacks” on mosques across the country, saying their crowds were quite large.
“Prepare yourself well, the revenge begins,” said the letter.
Eyüp Şahin, president of CIMG in eastern France, told Agence Anadolu (AA) that they had already received such threats and that there had been an increase in threats against Muslims and mosques in Europe.
He noted that he had previously received threats that their addresses had been compromised and that the perpetrators had threatened to come out and kill their families, bomb mosques and more.
“Such threats are taking place all over Europe. All Muslims receive such threats, but I think this complex is receiving more attention because it is the largest of its kind in Europe and the authors want to make their voices heard. “said Ahin. He noted that they had informed police and relevant authorities of the letter, as he said they expected common sense statements from politicians, rather than provocative remarks that trigger such hatred.
The mosque, located in eastern France, will allow thousands of Muslims living in neighboring German and Swiss cities to come and pray and is expected to be completed by the end of the year. It will have a capacity of 2,500 people inside and 5,000 inside and outside. There will also be a museum on the history of Muslims in France, as well as a research center, library, restaurant and more.
Earlier this year, the mosque was vandalized with words “No to Islam, return to your village”, which were sprayed through the fence at the construction site.