Former President Traian Basescu on Sunday criticized the construction of the largest mosque in Europe in Bucharest, saying that bringing Muslim students in the country is “the greatest risk”.
“We have a premier hidden in Istanbul. Even if lame, he decided upon the mosque, which leads us to think that he was operated on his head, not on his leg. It’s a story that, if it wouldn’t be tragic, it would be comical. (…) Such decisions are reckless, if not anti-national. We have a minority of 60-70,000 Muslims, we mosques in Constanta, but to build the largest mosque in Europe and to bring 600,000 Muslim students. (…) There is no greater risk than to bring Muslim students in the country,” the former president said during a meeting of the People’s Movement Party (PMP), which took place in Pitesti.
The former president believes this decision should be discussed in the Supreme Council of National Defence (CSAT) and the project must be rejected.
Turkey plans to build the largest mosque from a European Capital in Bucharest, Romania, which is to be completed within three years. Under an agreement signed between Turkish and Romanian authorities, Turkey will allocate land for the construction of a church by Romania in Istanbul, Turkish Daily Sabah informed.
The mosque was on the agenda of President Recep Tayyip Erdo?an, who paid a visit to Bucharest in April.
The mosque, which will be built in an area of 13,000 square meters, will have a capacity of 2,000 people. The Romanian government approved the allocation of the land for 49 years for mosque building in one of the central districts of Bucharest. The land is located on Expozitiei Boulevard, near Romexpo.
The mosque will address the needs of some 100,000 Muslims living in the Balkan country, as it will also house a complex with a library, a Quran teaching school and recreational facilities. It will have the characteristics of Ottoman-era architecture.
The funds are provided by the Turkish state, with estimated costs mounting to EUR 3 million.
Bucharest already has 10 buildings used as mosques, but the new site will be the first genuine mosque, while the others were mostly buildings converted into mosques.