Bellevue Mosque
Mosque in Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Bellevue Mosque (Swedish: Bellevuemoskén) is a mosque in Gothenburg, Sweden. It is located at Generalsgatan 2A in the "Bellevue" district of Gothenburg. The mosque is administered by the Somali-dominated[1] Islamic Sunni Centre Denomination (Swedish: Islamiska Sunnicentret Trossamfund, ISC) and advocates the Salafi movement of Islam.[2][3] It was created with funds from Saudi Arabia.[4]
Bellevue Mosque | |
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Bellevuemoskén | |
Location | |
Location | Gothenburg, Västra Götaland, Sweden |
Geographic coordinates | 57°43′51.30″N 12°01′27.74″E |
Architecture | |
Type | Mosque |
The mosque has been in the focus of media several times for its alleged ties to various Islamist and terrorist-designated organizations.[5] According to an article in Göteborgs-Tidningen, Mirsad Bektašević, the Swedish citizen of Bosniak descent who was convicted on terrorism-related charges in Sarajevo in 2007, was a frequent attendee of the Bellevue Mosque.[6] In the same article it was further claimed that the mosque had financial ties to the al-Haramain Foundation,[6] a Saudi-based charity group which has been listed on the United Nations list of "entities belonging to or associated with al-Qaeda". Representatives from the foundation are also said to have visited the mosque at several occasions.[6]
In December 2006 it was reported that the mosque has been used to collect money for the Islamic Courts Union (ICU) in Somalia.[7]
In July 2009 it was reported that Xasan Xuseen, described as spiritual leader of the Somali Islamist group al-Shabaab, had been invited to speak at a conference at the mosque.[2] al-Shabaab has carried out several suicide attacks in Somalia and is designated as a terrorist organization by the United States Department of State.[8] It is also described, although not officially designated, as a terrorist organization by the Swedish Security Service among others.[2][9]
In November 2012, the mosque held the first public dawah course in the Swedish language, it was arranged by controversial British Islamic missionary group iERA and Sveriges Förenade Muslimer.[10] According to the Swedish Defence University, nearly all individuals who have travelled from Gothenburg to join jihadi groups in Syria have been visitors to the mosque.[10] The official web page of the mosque praise Sharia law as "just and merciful towards society as a whole".[10]