BIK doesn't show how much money was raised for mosque construction

The spokesman for the Islamic Community of Kosovo, Ahmet Sadriu, has confirmed this for the Isander Journal, adding that very soon all will be published.

“We had asked for help from citizens, some tools that will become transparent are being collected. They've gathered around some preparations we've made as the Islamic Community, and to cover those expenses”, Sadriu said of Insideer.

Construction of the mosque in Dardani, Pristina, has become the most controversial topic of its architecture.

The cost of its construction is not yet known correctly. The change in the project that is expected to occur can also change its cost.

The dilemma under discussion is in the floors of the underground parking lot that will have the mosque. Project was four of those. Now two of them can be removed. That's because of the sewer problem.

Regarding the details of the project, the Pristina Municipal Assembly has held the debate, in which remarks and suggestions have been given.

The amount that can be moved is 35-40m euros. Its financing and construction has taken over Turkey's Islamic Community.

The role of the Islamic Community of Kosovo (BIK) in this case will be its supervisory role.

Ahemt Sadriu from BIK has told the Insider that the supervisor's body, which will be a local company, will be appointed very soon.

The BIKR is just an overseer. We'll appoint the supervisor's body, which will be a local firm”, Sadriu said.

A similar mosque, with some minor changes, is being built in Tirana, Albania. Similarly, the financing and construction of that mosque has taken over from Turkey's Islamic Community.

According to BIK spokesman, construction of the large mosque in Pristina is expected to last up to three years, taking into account practices from the construction of the same mosque in Tirana.

Project Enigmat

All of this had started on February 23rd 2012, when the Pristina Municipal Assembly approves the decision to give the location for construction of the new mosque in Pristina.

In October of that same year, the Islamic Community of Kosovo set the cornerstone for its construction. The municipality had divided 81 gold of land near the Great Post. BIK was not even close to launching procedures for the competition that would select the winning project.

The Islamic Community of Kosovo opens the international competition for the Great Mosque project in Pristina. 110 projects apply in this competition, but BIK criteria complete only 81 projects.

BIK has also been forced to remove the criterion in which it had requested several escorts as locals, garages and apartments of 120 square metres for imam.

But BIK never explains how the remodel of the Mosque area has become and has not presented any evidence to the public whether the project has undergone changes, despite the fact that the debate on this issue has been opened several times over the years.

BIK later publishes the jury's announcement on its official page, which had failed to choose the first location. Instead, the jury had assessed two projects for second place and one for third.

The jury, consisting of 3 foreign architects -- Bosnian Amir Pasic, Turkish Ibrahim Numan, and Italian Attilio Petruqolli -- two Kosovo architects, Muhamet Morina and Yusuf Gepa -- as well as two representatives of the Islamic community Saber Bajgora and Naim Ternava ruled that none of the projects had deserved the first place. The reward for first place was 25 thousand euros, for the second, 15 thousand, and third place 10,000 euros.

BIK had not published the name of the winning company. It's known to be Turkish. From Turkey comes the money for the construction of the Mosque, exactly from Turkey's Islamic Community.

Thus, the Great Mosque construction story has lasted six years and still lasts.

The mosque construction exhumation had led BIK leader Naim Trnava to react by saying they are determined to build the mosque, even without permission.

Maybe the day will soon come when we'll go out and start the mosque without permission and then I'll let you know that the host is me, the one who takes responsibility is me, the one who needs to be imprisoned is me, all I am, but I don't want to go to work up to”, Trnava had declared in an interview in RTK.

Against mosque architecture

A petition has been opened to stop construction of the mosque in the Dardania neighbourhood in Pristina.

The initiative of this petition is Ragip Rugova, who four months ago has been seeking to sign after, according to him, Pristina's “citizens do not need new mosques either for new churches. ”

<x0m> and churches do not bring progress to society. They bring back setbacks and conversions to the ideology and practices of the Middle Ages.”, Rugova wrote on the petition description.

But that is not all. There were also objections to the architecture being presented in the mosque construction project.

Yll Rugova with a group of signatories of the motion demanded revision of the mosque project, saying it is not in line with the Regulatory Plan.

This petition had been reacted to by the Council for the Protection of Human Rights and Freedoms, saying it has no legal basis.

“Llogaris that approximately 85% of Kosovo citizens are of Islamic faith, so with this petition which has no legal, human, moral and logical basis are being rendered a very bad service to good interreligious reports that have so far been in Kosovo”, it is said in response.

According to the KMDLNj, with this petition the human rights of Islamic believers in Kosovo are being jeopardised despite ethnic affiliation as if a dangerous discurs -- that of division on religious grounds -- were encouraged.

Construction of this mosque was also used for alleged attacks among political rivals, accusing each other of political gains at the expense of citizens.