Plans to build a huge mosque in the Turkish capital Ankara lead to many critical comments. According to Turkish newspapers, who call it the VIP-mosque, it will be a mega building dat must become a mix between modern and classical architecture. Turkish newspaper Hürriyet said they will start building the mosque in October and it´ll cost ten million Euro. There are special facilities for prominents, so the building-to-be has already the name of being the ´government mosque´. The newspapers say the mosque offers space to 15.000 believers, the Ministry of Religion Affairs say it are ´only´ 5.000.

The mosque is planned nearby the ministry so at least 1.000 employees of the ministry can use it. So far employees used a sports hall. An underground subway should connect the ministry with the mosque.

Especially the fact that there will be special entrances and space for ritual washing for prominents is reason for much commotion.  

Source: lokum.nl

Typo surely, it is million.

 Yes, sorry, I´ll correct it.

I don´t agree with building this at that cost.  There are thousands upon thousands of mosques here and from any view in Ankara you can see so many minarets very close together as you can in Istanbul, surely there are enough mosques already.  Especially when you look at the debt the government has, the poverty in places in Ankara and indeed throughout Turkey. 

I am not against a place of worship being built but when there are already plenty around, and to make a VIP style place, and to spen millions when there are homeless people in need, many schools with no facilities, SSK hospitals with dreadful wards and a lack of facilities - I think it is an outrage.

I totaly agree with your comments..

There are plenty of them and they are more than enough.

Building new mosques are totaly waste of money.

This news has got my goat acutally.  I pay huge taxes here and to think that my poor brother in law had to have an operation recemebtly in a SSK hospital - the shared ward had no curtains round the bed, no facilities or privacy between beds, bits of curtains covering the window, a bed matress I would never sit on and rusty old visitors metal chairs..... and they go and spend millions and yet another mosque ! 

I am not saying anymore, I´m fed up - copy paste this to "What´s your mood today!"

 Hadn´t you read it in local newspapers? It´s not a secret I hope?

We had a discussion about this a few months ago here.  However, it was a mega mosque being built in England, I do believe.  I happen to agree I think about the costs involved to build mosques, temples and churches and it makes me ill.  Of course I like to pray in a nice building, but my goodness it doesn´t have to be so elaborate.

The kicker is they remind you every Sunday that extra donations are needed to make sure you drop your envelope in the basket.  Somehow, if I don´t I feel very guilty..But that´s the Catholic church for you.

Well,i dont understand it quite well

Are they spending all that money so they build a mosque,would be the largest in the area,the most beauty,the one that contain İslamic arts,on walls,on ceiling.....ect..ect ?

İ mean something like a sight you would want to see,and by time that it may reach to be wonder in islamic art ?

Or they are spending the money for some certain people can use it ?

İ heard in Tunisia people are not allowed to pray at any mosque they want,and they should have some kind of membership to pray in the mosque !

İ dont know how true is it,i wish its not...

Houses of God are for everyone

VIP mosque ?!!!

İs there VİP´s at praying too ?!!

Yeah what is a VIP mosque anyway?? i thought the whole reason for mosques would be taht there would be no difference between ppl, the rich by the poor and the black by the white....etc,etc,

And 10 million!!!!!!!!!! WHY???? if wwe dont need it use the money for smthg else we dont have to ahve luxuries first and then necessities, necessties first!!!

So wise!!!!

catwoman u embaress me soo much!! I feel like  such a mature grown up on this site!!!(excat oppisite of real life!!)im always the baby in the group heheh but i mostly say what i hear the ppl around me saying lol!!

Thanks for the interesting post Ros.  I only wish the same integration and tolerance was forthcoming in other places around the world.

I know that in my country tolerance is absolutely not perfect, but how about yours Çacık? I´ve heard many not so nice stories....

That is very true! Since we hear so much about intolerance against Muslims, why don´t we also hear something about the intolerance of Muslims?

Catwoman, I´m not sure I understand what your saying.

intolerance  of Muslims . . . do you mean people should be more tolerant towards Muslims or Muslims should be more  intolerant ?  I think I may have misunderstood what you are trying to say.

Sorry, if it´s plain to see but I´ve been busy on my first attempt at making dolmas and I´m suffering

yes, absolutely.

 ha ha I wrote that then edited because I wasn´t sure if I had understood your comment.

 Hi Trudy

I am in Turkey.  I think everyone here know what has happened in Turkey to some non-believers in the past few years, murders, stabbings etc... 

On the whole, the general society around me, more Turkish people are more curious rather than agressive towards Christians, they seem to wish to ask many questions about Christianity.  I have not experienced any physical danger here, I feel quite safe although there have been times where one receives a bad eye, but you just ignore that.

On the otherhand, you don´t feel free to discuss another religion either but I guess that is not about the people, more due to the fact that I understand Muslims cannot question there faith. 

I think the majority of intolerance is born out of ignorance.

Exactlt Çacık, that´s what I meant. So you are Christian?

About these murders etc., in July 2007 I spoke to a priest of the Armenian-Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul and I was shocked about what he told me. Not so much tolerance for them there....

Yes I am.  I don´t find the intolerance so much in the general public, it is more that Churches seem to suffer all sorts of bureaucratical problems, there is always something wrong somewhere, that could close a place down.  You rectify the problem and another one turns up. That´s why sometimes you feel hurt that in Europe all sorts of places of worship are erected and funded, but it is not recipricated in many countries. 

I think the people who physical attack and persecute Christians have absolutely no idea at all what it is all about.  They are afriad and perhaps ignorant.  It is not there fault, they have known nothing else.   But things always work out everytime