Donors Shun Church-like Mosque

türkçe links to original Turkish article

(Milliyet Newspaper, 24 April 2018)


Nicknamed 'Mosque of Notre Dame' by local wags.

In Ortahisar, Trabzon, construction of the 'Molla Halil Camisi'
(mosque), sponsored by the Molla Halil Camii Yaptırma ve
Yaşatma Derneği (Molla Halil Mosque Construction and
Perpetuation Association) was begun in 2006 but because the
structure's architecture resembles that of a church more than
a mosque, donations have been hard to come by and the mosque
remains unfinished after 12 years.

A small portion inside the unfinished mosque is being used for
worship but the office of the mufti has announced that some
parts of the building will be torn down and rebuilt.  Association
chief İlyas Öztürk complained about the paucity of donations
caused by the opinions of some that the mosque looks like a
church.  He said current donations only pay for electricity and
water for the mosque. 

Trabzon Ortahisar Mufti Adem Aygül noted that "the mosque's
plot will be expanded and we're anticipating a revised project."
Local resident Ziya Arslan opined that "the structure looks like
a church, not a mosque."  His friend İbrahim Şeras hoped that
the new project will conform to Turkish architecture and that
the 'church spires' will be converted to minarets.