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First mosque opened in Kiev - PHOTO

First mosque opened in Kiev -<font color=red> PHOTO</font>

02 December 2011 17:05 (UTC +04:00)

The final long-awaited construction took place in stages, with money donated by parishioner, APA reports quoting â€œPressTVâ€.

The first attempts to build a mosque in Kiev were at the end of 19th century and at the beginning of 20th. However two World wars and the October revolution in 1917 completely impeded progress. The next attempt to build a mosque was made only in 1991. Before that Muslims were forced to hold mass gatherings in apartments, libraries, and sports complexes.

The complex is also composed of the Muslim cemetery, educational center and the minaret.

Muslims say not only the Mosque is built for believers but it is also a Kievâ€™s city adornment and the bridge between different cultures and civilizations.

Now Ar-Rahma Mosque is the only mosque in Kiev and a spiritual center of Ukrainian Muslims. Mufti of Ukraine says the Mosque’s doors are open to professionists of different religions as the main purpose of the Ar-Rahma construction was teaching and spiritual advance.
According to the spiritual board of Muslims’ data there are about 60 thousand Muslims in Kyiv and up to 2 million in Ukraine. Despite the fact that the Muslims minority in Ukraine is far from being one of the strongest in the world, their roots go deep into distant ages of Ukraine’s history. The Ukrainian Muslim organization is now responsible for the mosque and is planning to build a big Islamic complex in the future.