First Mosque for Shia Muslims Opens in Finland

The first mosque and cultural center for Finland’s Shi’ites was inaugurated in the capital Helsinki earlier this week.Managers of Islamic centers from Sweden, Denmark and Norway, Muslim scholars including Hojat-ol-Islams Hakim Elahi, Khademi, and Razavi, Iranian ambassador to Finland Seyyed Rasoul Mousavi, head of Finnish prime minister’s office, and a number of cultural, religious and social personalities attended the inauguration ceremony of the center, which is named after Hazrat Fatemeh Zahra (SA).The mosque has been constructed by the Risalat Ahl-lu-Bayt (AS) Center, which is an affiliate of the World Ahl-lu-Bayt (AS) Assembly.The center began its activities in Finland ten years ago and now has 1000 registered members. It publishes an Islamic magazine named ‘Salam’ and so far has published 4 Islamic books in the Finnish language.The Risalat Ahl-lu-Bayt (AS) Center also carries out joint cultural activities with the country’s churches and organizations. /129