In the Gries district of Graz, a secret mosque in an apartment building is causing a stir and triggering a great deal of media attention. However, this is only the tip of the iceberg: as reported by exxpress, Jews were openly insulted there and calls were made for violence against Zionists. The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has already launched an investigation.
The discovery of the ‘Masjid al İhsan’ mosque in a basement
But what began as an unexpected discovery is now turning out to be an explosive scandal, as exxpress has revealed.
The neighbours were initially irritated when more and more men with long beards started entering the building. The real surprise came when they learned that there was a mosque in the basement, open daily from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. It had previously been located in Schönaugasse under the name ‘Arabischer Kulturverein Graz’ (Arab Cultural Association Graz).
The mosque is apparently very popular among visitors, especially asylum seekers from Syria and Iraq, as online comments show. One comment states: ‘A mosque that follows the Koran and Sunnah with the understanding of its righteous predecessors.’ It is described as an ‘active and educational mosque.’
But insiders warn that the mosque follows a Salafist orientation, an ultra-conservative movement within Islam.
The sermons in the mosque – both in German and Arabic – are available on the internet. While the German-language sermons are largely harmless, the Arabic speeches openly incite hatred against Jews and Zionists. Statements such as ‘Jews are God’s filthiest creatures’ and ‘May Allah kill the Zionists’ were made.
The Office for the Protection of the Constitution has now filed charges against two leading figures in the association for incitement to hatred. The Graz public prosecutor’s office confirmed to exxpress that investigations are ongoing.
In addition, the building and facilities authority intervened and determined that the space did not have a permit for use as a mosque, as reported by the Kleine Zeitung newspaper. The owner of the storage room was also surprised, as he had rented the space exclusively for storage purposes.
But now it is about more than ‘just’ questions of approving rooms as places of worship. Neighbours are pushing for a quick solution and for the mosque to be removed from their building.