Ukraine has the largest mosque with a capacity of three thousand worshipers in one congregation prayer. The first foundation of the Ar-Rahma Mosque, the name of the first largest mosque built since 1994, is laid in the Tatarka district, on the Shchekavitsya hill.
The Ar-Rahma Mosque was inaugurated with its minaret in December 2011. Ar-Rahma which means “affection” was inaugurated on the same day as Ukraine's twentieth independence day in the capital of Kiev.
"I congratulate Ukrainian Muslims, especially in Kiev, this is a symbol of Ukraine's protection of the constitutional rights of religious freedom and human rights and the success of democracy in Ukraine," said Ukrainian Presidential Spokesman Anna Germany.
Anna Germany also expressed her hope that this mosque will not only be a place of worship, but also a place of calm and peace for Ukrainians and a symbol of brotherhood around the world.
The first attempt to build a mosque in Kiev always encountered obstacles, due to two world wars and the October 1917 revolution. The construction of the Ar-Rahma Mosque had previously been hampered.
However, thanks to hard work and forward efforts to build a mosque, the initiative was made in 1991. Prior to that Ukraine's Muslims already owned several buildings, such as apartments, a library and a sports complex.
The majority of Muslims in Ukraine are ethnic Crimean Tatars and live on the Crimean peninsula. According to the Muslim Administrative Institute of Ukraine, there are 2 million Muslims in Ukraine out of a total population of 45 million. Crimean Muslims have a history in the development of Islam from Turkey, Tartar, Checnya and the Caucasus region. (World Bulletin / Republika). *
