A gathering of supporters of the extreme right National Party in Brno to distribute leaflets warning against what the party termed as “Islamization” was dismissed as a media ploy in the run up to the October election. Eight party followers met outside the Brno mosque just after 1 p.m. Aug. 29 to protest plans for the construction of a new mosque, though National Party official Jiří Gaudin denied there was ever meant to be a rally.
Munib Hasan, a spokesman for the Brno Muslim community, said last month that Muslims would like to have a larger building for prayer as the existing place of worship was no longer sufficient for their growing numbers.
“The Brno mosque has been here for years, and, now, we need a bigger space,” he said. “There haven’t been any problems so far, and I hope there won’t be any in the future … I don’t see a reason why anyone should be against a new mosque. There are a number of Muslims living here peacefully. I believe that the National Party is attempting to catch the media’s attention before the upcoming election.”
But Ivo Strejček, an ODS MEP, spoke out against the mosque on his Web site. “Absolutely not! Can you imagine building a Christian church in Tehran?” he said. “It is not the time to be politically correct, and it is necessary to acknowledge that our civilization is losing the battle with aggressive Islam. It is necessary to refuse the argument of European leftist madmen who proclaim the policy of multiculturalism. The building of mosques in Europe is the symbol of cultural war, which we are losing.”