On Monday evening, Helsingør City Council, by a broad majority, rejected a project by Helsingør Islamsk Menighed to build a 1,200-square-metre mosque right next to the city’s existing mosque.
De Konservative, Socialdemokratiet, SF, Danmarksdemokraterne, Liberal Alliance, Dansk Folkeparti and Venstre gave the thumbs down to the grand mosque, while Moderaterne, De Radikale and Enhedslisten wanted to grant permission for construction, Politiken reports.
The grounds for the rejection are technical:
The ban is justified by the traffic problems that already exist at the mosque in its current size. The parties believe that an expansion would only exacerbate these problems, it states.
Marianne Victor Hansen of SF believes that the current local development plan is clearly not consistent with this. She stresses, however, that the party’s position would have been the same regardless of which construction project was to be carried out.
‘We in De Konservative find it difficult to see how it would be possible to carry out the desired expansion at this location. It is a matter of responsible urban planning,’ says Janus Kyhl of De Konservative.
The Muslim Dikev Foundation, which is among the initiators of the grand mosque, is now threatening to sue Helsingør Municipality with a view to obtaining compensation running into the millions.
The existing 400-square-metre mosque is the only one in Helsingør, where an estimated 2,500 Muslims live. According to the congregation’s leadership, the mosque does not have sufficient space during Friday prayers, Politiken writes.
