The commune of Hesperange has closed down a Muslim prayer room in a Howald residential complex following complaints from residents.
The 113 m square commercial space on the ground floor of a block of flats was acquired by Asbl Islamic Centre in 2015. At the time, no mention was made of plans to use the space as a prayer hall.
“The whole case was clumsily handled,” said Hesperange mayor Marc Lies. “The current situation does not please me, but every effort to open a dialogue and increase transparency was rejected.”
The commune’s main argument is that the space is not suited for use as a prayer room, as its capacity is limited and there are also concerns about fire alarms.
The small Bosnian Muslim community using the space is now left without a prayer room. “We have not done anything illegal,” said ASBL president Zijad Mehanovic. “We are about 20 believers who come together here to pray three times a day,” he said, adding: “We also teach our culture, our religion, our children on Sunday. There was hostility from the outset, we felt that we were unwanted.”
Residents complained of noise, especially during Ramadan, and verbal threats. Several complaints were made to police. “Nothing, absolutely nothing was found by the police. They were kind to us, " said Mr Mehanovic.
The Bosnian, who has lived for years in Luxembourg, served as a goal keeper for the football teams of several different countries. He said: “If I am not integrated, I do not know who is.”
Prior the latest problems, the Islamic organisation had rented a large room in the basement of the same building, to practice praying discreetly. The municipality, however, refused to grant permission, referring to the safety rules.
The Islamic community claims to have sought alternatives to the municipality in vain. “They had nothing to offer” said Zijad Mehanovic. “Now we will abandon the prayer space of Howald, but we oppose the decision of the municipality, and we will go to the Administrative Court for it.”