More than 1,000 mosques open doors for 30th annual event

More than 1,000 mosques across Germany are opening to visitors for the 30th annual Open Mosque Day, with tours and traditional food on offer, BR reports. The event aims to encourage contact between faiths and help dispel prejudice.

The Central Council of Muslims launched the initiative in 1997. It is held on German Unity Day, and mosques across Bavaria are also welcoming visitors.

At the Turkish-Islamic congregation in Munich-Pasing, organisers expect about 200 guests. Tours will run every half hour, and visitors can try grilled mackerel, a popular dish at the mosque, said its chairman, Dursun Tosun. Volunteers from the congregation’s youth group completed short training courses to lead tours.

The Pasing mosque first took part in the event in 1999. Tosun said interest was limited at first, but more people have since become curious about what happens inside a mosque. He said the day gives visitors a chance to see how Muslims live and to address concerns about Islam.

Local politicians and representatives of the two major churches are also expected at the mosque. A Bavarian Interior Ministry spokesperson said speaking with one another was better than speaking about one another, adding that exchanges between people of different cultures and religions support integration, democracy and peace.

Aykan Inan, who spent more than 13 years as managing director of the Ditib association in southern Bavaria, said the event had helped create contacts and projects. In some places, he said, it had also helped connect neighbourhood support groups with nearby Muslim communities.