Residents of Kazan opposed the backfilling of the Volga for the construction of a grandiose mosque

In Kazan, local residents opposed the construction of a huge mosque building, for the sake of which it is planned to fill up part of the Volga water area. A petition was published on the website change.org, which gathered almost 4,000 signatures. The authors, appealing to the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia, demanded that the construction of a mosque in a recreational area and near a residential area be prevented.

“Sacrificing nature is unacceptable. This place is a walking area, a recreation area for both residents of Kazan and tourists, the petition says. “A mosque of this magnitude should not be located in a residential area, for this there must be a remoteness of residential buildings, as well as appropriate pedestrian and transport logistics.”

According to Vechernyaya Kazan, the Glavstroy of the Republic of Tatarstan is collecting applications for a contract until February 14, under the terms of which an artificial land plot will be created on the Kuibyshev reservoir. The starting cost of the contract is 10.15 million rubles. It is planned to erect a Cathedral Mosque for 10 thousand people on this site – more than the “Heart of Chechnya” in Grozny.

According to Aidar Shagimardanov, president of the Association of Muslim Entrepreneurs of Russia, there are more and more Muslims every day, and since the president of Tatarstan Rustam Minnikhanov is physically in Kazan, it turns out that thanks to the new mosque, Tatarstan will receive the status of the center of Islam in Russia.

The architect, co-author of the Kul Sharif project and the author of the project of the White Mosque in Bolgar, Sergey Shakurov, commented on the construction of the mosque to the Evening Kazan publication. According to him, this place is unfortunate, “completely useless.” He believes that the building should not be built for a number of reasons, which include the already overloaded logistics of the area, conflict with residents and the surrounding architecture, which will not rhyme with this building.

Nafisa Mingazova, a well-known Kazan environmentalist, head of the department of environmental management and water use of KFU, also commented with concern on reports about plans to build a mosque.

“Our authorities have publicly promised us several times already that there will be no more alluvium and backfilling of the rivers, and here it is again. Stop messing with the river! It is not particularly necessary to rely now on the state ecological expertise that would protect Kazanka. Whom to pray to spare the river? Maybe turn to religious leaders? Suddenly, they will listen to the opinion that it is impossible to start a good deed by killing a river? Mingazova is indignant.

According to her, this construction will cause very severe harm to the river. “If it goes on like this, the river will die before the eyes of one generation,” she added, pointing out that the water in the river is valuable and healing – “sulfate, highly mineralized.”

Eco-activist and urbanist Yulia Fayzrakhmanova emphasized that the construction of such a huge religious building in the place that has now been designated, fundamentally violates the fundamental principles of the development of modern cities and societies. First of all, she explained, such things should be the subject of a major public discussion. And the construction project in its current form completely violates federal law.

Fayzrakhmanova added that now local environmental activists are preparing letters to the President of Russia and heads of federal departments.