Enschede mosque construction starts 18 December after 17 years

Construction of a new mosque in Enschede begins on 18 December, after 17 years of political disputes, court cases and protests.

The mosque, named Turks Cultureel Centrum (Turkish Cultural Centre), replaces the city's two current mosques, which are old and badly out of date. It will have room for 625 worshippers, growing to about 1,500 people during Islamic holidays. A shop and a catering business will also be built on the grounds, for visitors to the mosque.

The aim is for the shell of the building to stand within two years. The mayor's spokesperson confirmed that Bleker will be present when work starts.

Gökhan Çelik, chairman of the mosque board, said: "We had to wait seventeen years for this, but now it has finally arrived." On the celebrations he said: "How happy can you be? We are going to celebrate this in a really big way." The mosque board has said earlier that the new building is needed: the two current mosques are very old, parking costs are high, and the neighbourhood suffers from traffic.

The latest plan adds an extra junction to ease traffic pressure around the mosque.

How we got here

1. 2009First plans; the city council holds back over residents' worries about the call to prayer.
2. 2016The council approves the mosque. The Council of State later strikes down the zoning plan, ruling the municipality had not properly researched traffic.
3. 2020The council itself rejects the third version of the zoning plan; a majority wants traffic and parking pressure better mapped.
4. 2022A council majority votes to start construction.
5. 2023The Council of State gives the green light.