Residents of Kostroma oppose the construction of a mosque in the city center

The editorial office of the newspaper "Severnaya Pravda" received an open appeal from the inhabitants of Kostroma to the leadership of the city and region. More than a hundred citizens signed the appeal. The authors of the appeal oppose the possible construction of a mosque on Constitution Square. One mosque in Kostroma already exists and, according to the signatories, is usually empty.

The appeal says that the townspeople are not against the construction of another mosque, but are categorically against the chosen place - in the center of Kostroma, which, in their opinion, "will cross out the image of the ancient Russian city."

The construction plans are regarded by the authors of the appeal as nothing more than a "project for the destruction of Kostroma": "When Kostroma residents see a giant Islamic center soaring like Kazbek over the Caucasus, they will shudder belatedly. After all, 90% of Kostroma residents, according to statistics, are Orthodox. When they hear pouring from the speakers on the minarets, calls to prayer - as it is supposed to be according to Islamic tradition - will begin to get sick and die for no reason. For our genes, whether we like it or not, are nevertheless programmed for our native, Russian, tribal, our own. Is it not enough that Kostroma and without that they are dying out, and so the population of the region, as under Mamai, is declining!

The editors of Severnaya Pravda, disagreeing with many of the xenophobic statements of the appeal, note that architectural structures designed to become one of the symbols of the city must first be coordinated with its residents.

Sources

• "Northern Truth". Mosque in Kostroma: to be or not to be // Religion and Mass Media. 2004. November 10.