The Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilisation Center (HBKCC) is a sunni mosque in the Outer Nørrebro borough of Copenhagen, Denmark. Built in 2014, it is one of the largest in Europe.[1][2]
| Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilisation Center | |
|---|---|
Moskeen i Rovsingsgade | |
 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Branch/tradition | Sunni |
| Location | |
| Location | Copenhagen, Denmark |
  Shown within Copenhagen | |
| Geographic coordinates | 55°42′30.0″N 12°32′55.6″E / 55.708333°N 12.548778°E |
| Architecture | |
| Architect(s) | Jan Wenzel, Lars Tuxen |
| Type | mosque |
| Completed | June 2014 |
| Specifications | |
| Capacity | 3,000 worshipers |
| Minaret(s) | 1 |
History
editIn September 2013, as the mosque was still under construction, critics rose about the plan to broadcast the official Hamas-run television channel Al-Aqsa TV in the media center of the mosque, Hamas being blacklisted as a terrorist organization in the European Union (of which Denmark is a member).[3]
In June 2014, the Danish Islamic Council opened the Grand Mosque of Copenhagen (officially Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilisation Center, after the Emir of Qatar Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani), the country's largest mosque, and the first one with a minaret. Qatar provided $27 million to finance the construction, which led the Danish People's Party to express their concerns about potential Qatari interference of in Danish domestic affairs.[4] The Danish royal family and government ministers were invited to attend the opening but declined the invitation, with only Copenhagen's deputy mayor for social issues Jesper Christensen attending.[5]
It was agreed with the municipality of Copenhagen that the minaret would not be used to broadcast a call to prayer.[6] However, there are a number of small speakers mounted above the doors on either side of the courtyard so the call to prayer can be heard by worshippers outside the main prayer hall.
The group Stop Islamisation of Denmark had planned to protest in front of the building the day of its opening, but was banned by the police.[7]
In 2020, Berlingske newspaper reported that the mosque had received 227 million Danish crowns (more than 23 million euro) from investors in Qatar.[8]
Description
editThe mosque was designed by the Danish architects Jan Wenzel & Lars Tuxen[3] and is the property of the Danish Islamic Council. It has the capacity to host 3,000 people indoors, and an extra 1,500 in an inner courtyard. The mosque's exterior is made of titanium, glass and polished concrete. Many architectural elements symbolize the link of the building with Mecca.[9]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ The Grand Mosque of Copenhagen Archived 2007-09-27 at the Wayback Machine, The Copenhagen Post, April 26, 2007
- ^ "Politicians and royals steering clear of grand mosque's opening – the Post".
- ^ a b Joshua Levitt (8 September 2013). "New Copenhagen Mosque May Break Anti-Terror Rules by Rebroadcasting Hamas-Controlled Al-Aqsa TV". Algemeiner.com. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Denmark's first 'real' mosque opens, bankrolled by Qatar". Timesofisrael.com. 19 June 2014. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
- ^ "Politicians and royals steering clear of grand mosque opening". cphpost.dk. 16 June 2020. Archived from the original on 16 June 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2020.
- ^ Burchardt, Marian; Michalowski, Ines (2014). After Integration: Islam, Conviviality and Contentious Politics in Europe. Springer. pp. 175–176. ISBN 9783658025946.
- ^ United States Department of State • Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor (2014). "Denmark 2014 international religious freedom report" (PDF). State.gov. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Birk, Christian (2020-02-20). "Kontroversiel stormoské har fået markant større millionstøtte fra Qatar end hidtil kendt: »Jeg synes, det er totalt langt ude«". Berlingske.dk (in Danish). Retrieved 2020-06-25.
- ^ "Grand Mosque Project Concept and Design: Jan Wenzel and Lars Tuxen" (PDF). Jenzel-tuxen.com. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 4 February 2018.
External links
edit
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