How a Catholic church has been transformed into a mosque in the city of Venice, Italy.
According to the report, for the next seven months Venice will find itself in the middle of a constant debate about Islam’s place in Europe.
On Friday, as part of the Venice Biennale, a former Catholic church in the Cannaregio neighborhood will open its doors as a functioning mosque, its walls adorned with Arabic script, its floor covered with a prayer rug angled toward Mecca and its crucifix mosaics hidden behind a towering prayer niche.
Venice, known for its arts and alluring architectural beauty, remains one of the few European cities without a mosque near its historic centre, which has left Islamic residents with no choice than to pray in storerooms and shops.
Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia in Venice and Italy in general and fears like those in France which had to deal with a terrorist attack recently, Muslim leaders in Venice said they saw the proposal to create a temporary mosque as a perfect way to communicate their desire to more fully participate in the life of their city.
According to the report, for the next seven months Venice will find itself in the middle of a constant debate about Islam’s place in Europe.
On Friday, as part of the Venice Biennale, a former Catholic church in the Cannaregio neighborhood will open its doors as a functioning mosque, its walls adorned with Arabic script, its floor covered with a prayer rug angled toward Mecca and its crucifix mosaics hidden behind a towering prayer niche.
Venice, known for its arts and alluring architectural beauty, remains one of the few European cities without a mosque near its historic centre, which has left Islamic residents with no choice than to pray in storerooms and shops.
Against a backdrop of rising Islamophobia in Venice and Italy in general and fears like those in France which had to deal with a terrorist attack recently, Muslim leaders in Venice said they saw the proposal to create a temporary mosque as a perfect way to communicate their desire to more fully participate in the life of their city.
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