Uraza Bayram celebration raises issue of returning Krasnodar mosque to Muslims

There is not a single operating mosque in Krasnodar; the nearest ones are in Adygea; and they are always overcrowded on holidays, local Imams have stated.

The Uraza Bayram holiday will bring together about 3000 Muslims in the mosque located in the dwelling settlement of Yablonovsky, while the building may house 500 people, Imam Anzor Djeukozhev told the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

All the mosques located near Krasnodar are overcrowded during holidays, Asfar Myss, the Imam of the mosque situated in the Takhtamukai District of Adygea, has confirmed, noting that the historic mosque building in Krasnodar, built by Circassian patron Lyu Trakhov, is not returned to believers. If this building had been handed over to Muslims, then, the mosques in Adygea could be unloaded, Imam Muss has suggested, adding that meanwhile, the Russian Orthodox Church receives temple buildings into use en masse.

He said that the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM) has not put forward such an initiative to Krasnodar authorities. "We are all the time shy, or, maybe, afraid of something. We must declare our rights and return the building to Muslims," Asfar Myss has stated.

This article was originally published on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’ on June 4, 2019 at 08:31 pm MSK. To access the full text of the article, click here.