Excavation work for the Sofia metro have damaged the buildings of Banya Bashi, the only mosque in Sofia in use as a place of worship, with authorities doing nothing about it, Bulgarian-language Dnevnik daily quoted the Chief Mufti’s Office as saying on September 11 2009.
According to the Chief Mufti’s Office, the irresponsible attitude towards Islamic values was worrying and added to suspicions that lately there had been a trend of negative attitudes towards the Muslim community and its problems in Bulgaria.
The Chief Mufti’s Office said that this was the most recent attempt to insult the Muslim place of worship, which is also a monument of culture of national importance.
The Ministry of Culture has previously assured the Mufti’s Office that they would look into the issue carefully.
However, despite these assurances, cracks in the mosque’s walls and its minaret had appeared, which could lead to permanent damage, the Chief Mufti’s Office said.