As Russia population falls, Islam thriving

Toronto Star

The Sobornaya Mosque is one of only four mosques in Moscow serving a Muslim population of 2.5 million — the largest of any European city. Crammed amid the grey monoliths of Moscow's 1980 Olympics complex, it was the only Islamic house of worship allowed to function during the Soviet period, usually empty due to religious repression.rnrnToday, like Moscow's other mosques, it overflows with worshippers on Fridays and holy days. Muslim leaders have been trying to get permission from the city to expand the mosque, and to build many more, but their attempts have failed.rnrn"In the Soviet period, people were forbidden from practising their religions. Now, they are embracing their faith again," says Ildar Alyautdinov, an imam at the Sobornaya Mosque. "But to have only four mosques in Moscow, obviously that's not enough .... We deserve more respect."rnrnRussia is in the midst of startling transformation. Islamic faith is thriving across the country. If current trends continue, experts say, more than half of Russia's population will be Muslim by mid-century.