Rana Taslim Uddin was heard in the 3rd and 6th committees of the Lisbon Municipal Assembly (AML), which oversee the areas of Urban Planning and Human and Social Rights, respectively, on the possible construction of a new mosque in the Lisbon area of Mouraria, announced more than 10 years ago.

During a hearing lasting almost three hours, the leader of the Bangladeshi community in Lisbon was questioned by municipal deputies about several topics involving this process, namely the availability for the mosque to be built in another area of the city, as there is some contestation.

“We need a mosque where there are people. This is where we practice our religion daily. It was the [Lisbon] Chamber that chose this location”, stated Rana Uddin.

The person responsible for the Bangladeshi community highlighted that the current places of worship in the Mouraria area do not offer security conditions, given the limited space, and, for example, keep women away from worship.

“We have no space for women. Women, at this moment, pray at home or have to go to the Central Mosque (Avenidas Novas)”, he pointed out.

As in previous hearings on the same topic, municipal deputies from PSD, IL, Chega, MPT, and CDS-PP questioned the fact that the location planned for the new Mouraria mosque, on Rua do Benformoso, had motivated the expropriation of the buildings necessary for the execution of the project, without the agreement of all affected owners.

This was an issue that divided parties on the right and left, with doubts raised about the conclusion or not of a judicial process involving one of the opponents of the expropriation.

In this sense, some parties requested the presence of the councilor responsible for Urbanism at the Lisbon City Council, Joana Almeida, at the next meeting of this committee.

“We don’t want any problems. The Lisbon City Council was left to negotiate with you. This has to be resolved. It’s a question of justice, it’s not about us”, argued Rana Taslim Uddin.

Regarding the process of building a mosque in Mouraria, the AML has also heard from the president of the Islamic Community of Lisbon (CIL), Mahomed Iqbal, and the president of the Parish Council of Santa Maria Maior, Miguel Coelho.

In October 2015, the Lisbon City Council unanimously approved the construction of a new mosque in Mouraria, between the streets of Palma and Benformoso, a project budgeted at three million euros, to serve the Muslim community, which currently occupies a space in Mouraria [in Beco de São Marçal], but with very reduced conditions compared to their needs.