Opening of Moscow Cathedral Mosque cannot solve problem with prayers in Moscow streets

According to the Russian Council of Muftis, in Moscow and the Moscow Region, 268,000 Muslims took part in the celebration of the holiday of Eid al-Adha. Meanwhile, the Cathedral Mosque, opened on the eve of the holiday, has not solved the problem of Muslims, encountered by them when they have to pray in the streets of Moscow.

In the Moscow Region, 75,000 Muslims took part in the holiday namaz (prayer). This was told to the "Caucasian Knot" correspondent by Rushan-Khazrat Abbyasov, Mufti of the Moscow Region and Office Head of the Russian Council of Muftis. According to him, this year, mosque-goers were provided with the possibility to perform the ritual of sacrifice in the specially arranged places in the Moscow Region.

In Moscow, the Old Mosque in Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street gathered about 30,000 Muslims. According to Sergey Nikitin, a fighter of the Moscow OMON (riot police), engaged in the protection of public order near the Old Mosque, it was difficult to enter the "Tretyakovskaya" underground station, and a lot of people crowded at the exit from the lobby of the underground station.

Meanwhile, the mosque-goers, who performed prayer in Clement Lane, claimed problems with the broadcast of the Eid al-Adha prayer.

Some residents of Moscow criticized the organization of the celebration of Eid al-Adha in the Russian capital. So, local resident Yuri Stepanovich said that he "felt indignation about the fact that the roads designated for traffic of vehicles were blocked."

According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs (MIA), about 140,000 people took part in the celebration of the holiday of Eid al-Adha in Moscow.

Full text of the article is available on the Russian page of 24/7 Internet agency ‘Caucasian Knot’.