Russian President Putin opens Moscow’s most elaborate mosque

THE NEW YORK TIMES
By Neil MacFarquhar

The Moscow Cathedral Mosque, which replaces a much smaller structure built in 1904, took a decade to build. Credit Yuri Kadobnov/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images

RUSSIA---The most elaborate mosque ever built in Moscow, a city that is home to one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in Europe, was opened on Wednesday by President Vladimir V. Putin. Mr. Putin, in brief remarks, called the new, modern mosque the biggest in Europe and said that it was a worthy addition to a capital and a country built on the idea of uniting different nationalities and faiths. The mosque is a central part of Russia’s efforts to develop its own system of Muslim religious education and training to counteract extremists seeking recruits, the president said. [link]