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Muslim Countries Build Mosques in the West While Persecuting Christians at Home
The European Conservative ^ | 22 May, 2026 | Uzay Bulut

Posted on 05/23/2026 7:31:23 AM PDT by MtnClimber

Construction of Islamic worship centers funded by Turkey, Qatar, and Iran has been welcomed by Western politicians eager to court the Muslim immigrant vote.

This general view taken on April 6, 2021, shows the construction site of The Eyyub Sultan Mosque in Strasbourg, eastern France, after the city council of Strasbourg approved in principle at least €2,5 million in public funding for the construction. Frederick FLORIN / AFP.

Europe’s largest mosque is under construction in Strasbourg, France.

The €25 million project is mostly funded by the “Islamic Community National View” (IGMG), a Turkish Islamic organization that manages 518 mosques and 2330 branches across Europe as well as in Australia and Canada.

In 2025, French MEP Marion Maréchal said that the organization was accused of “promoting a separatist, Muslim Brotherhood-style Islam”:

This radical organization is being used by [Turkish President] Erdoğan’s regime to maintain control over Turkish immigrant communities here in our country.

Maréchal added that French and European politicians, on both the Left and Right, have rolled out the red carpet for Islamic communities with subsidies, building permits, loans, and land—all to buy their votes in elections. This compromise, openly embraced on the left, sometimes concealed on the right, comes at the cost of our security, and our identity, secularism, national cohesion, and, of course, the fight against Islamism.

This major mosque project in Strasbourg is the Eyyub Sultan Mosque (also referred to as the Grand Mosque of Strasbourg). Work on the project began in 2017. It is being constructed by the Germany-based “Islamic Community National View” or “Islamische Gemeinschaft Mili Görüş” (IGMG), which is reportedly supported through funding from Turkey and Qatar.

The Eyyub Sultan Mosque is not the only one built and managed in the West with foreign funding. The government of Turkey—as well as Qatar and Iran—are on a mission to build mosques across the West to spread Islam. Meanwhile, they severely persecute their own Christian citizens.

Turkey, whose current government supports the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), actively engages in mosque-building in the U.S., Europe, South America, Asia, Africa, and other regions. The Turkish government spends hundreds of millions of dollars building mosques as part of a long-term effort to globally promote Islam.

Turkey’s state-run Presidency of Religious Affairs, known as the Diyanet, has joined with the Turkish Religious Affairs Foundation (TDV) to construct mosques, as well as Islamic educational and cultural centers, across the world—in places such as the US, Russia, Germany, Sweden, England, Venezuela, and Japan.

In 2016, for instance, a gigantic Ottoman-style mosque was opened in Maryland, U.S., by Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. In 2018, Erdoğan inaugurated another mosque, the ‘Cologne Central Mosque,’ in Germany. The mosque was built by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) after eight years of construction work.

DITIB runs approximately 900 to 1,000 mosques in Germany alone, making it the largest umbrella organization for mosques in the country. These mosques are linked to the Diyanet, which provides imams to DITIB mosques.

At home, however, Turkey is busy desecrating or abusing historical churches. Turkey has even turned the world’s greatest cathedral into a mosque. In 2020, President Erdoğan ordered the conversion of the nearly 1,500-year-old Byzantine-era Greek Orthodox Church, Hagia Sophia, back into a mosque after a court annulled a 1934 presidential decree that had made it a museum.

Two green Ottoman flags are placed inside the Hagia Sophia. The flag represents Ottoman military conquests, and the three white crescents on it symbolize the Ottoman occupation of Europe, Asia, and Africa.

Turkey formally converted another Byzantine-era Greek church, the Church of St. Savior in Chora (known as Kariye in Turkish), into a mosque in 2020. This occurred soon after it had turned Hagia Sophia into a Muslim house of prayer.

Numerous historical churches in Turkey have been turned into stables, warehouses, or barns; used for other sacrilegious purposes; or left in ruins. Neglect, lack of protection for, and vandalism of these churches have led to their deterioration or conversion into other purposes, including animal shelters. Many churches have also been destroyed or damaged by treasure hunters.

Protestant churches in Turkey also face significant obstacles in establishing places of worship, as they are not officially recognized by the government. Many Protestant churches operate in unrecognized, rented spaces, leading to closure threats, surveillance, and legal issues. Meanwhile, many foreign pastors and church members have been deported from Turkey and denied re-entry for posing a “national security threat” to the country.

Qatar also actively funds the construction of mosques and Islamic centers across Western countries, particularly in Europe, through organizations like Qatar Charity and the Qatar Foundation. According to the official website of Qatar Charity, an NGO funded by the Qatari royal family,

When it comes to building mosques, Qatar Charity has marked milestones in the field. We started building a total of 9063 mosques worldwide, 7896 of which were handed over. We are calling all our Muslim brothers to help complete the construction of the remaining mosque[s]… Donate now and spread the true word of Islam.

According to the 2019 Qatar Papers, a book published by French journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot, Qatar Charity funded 140 mosque and Islamic center projects in Europe to the tune of €71 million. The highest number of projects (50) was in Italy. The two authors based their information on internal documents leaked from Qatar Charity.

“Qatar is today a leading funder of Islam in Europe,” Malbrunot said in an interview with Swiss television RTS in 2019. He said Qatar was doing this through a network of connections close to the Muslim Brotherhood.

At home, however, Qatar has a completely different policy towards Christians. Islam is Qatar’s state religion, with the country’s policy and culture dictated by Sharia. The Qatari government considers Christianity a foreign influence. In Qatar, leaving Islam (apostasy) is legally considered a crime punishable by death. Hence, proselytizing Muslims and distributing Bibles are strictly forbidden. These offenses can lead to severe penalties, including prosecution and deportation.

The only place where Christian migrants can legally gather for worship in the country is the strictly monitored ‘religious complex’ just outside the capital of Doha. Christian worship is restricted to this specific, non-public, government-designated area called the Mesaimeer Religious Complex. Public display of Christian symbols (like crosses or steeples) is forbidden, and churches cannot exist outside this designated complex.

Like Turkey and Qatar, Iran also utilizes a network of mosques, cultural centers, and Islamic institutions located in Western countries to project ‘soft power’ and maintain ideological influence among the Shia diaspora. These institutions often serve as hubs for supporting the Iranian regime’s ideology.

According to a new report by the National Union for Democracy in Iran (NUFDI), Tehran has spent decades constructing what it describes as a durable, institution-based influence architecture across the United States—one built around properties, schools, mosques, clerical pipelines, youth programming, nonprofits, and community ecosystems designed to outlast administrations, sanctions cycles, and media scrutiny.

On March 6, 2026, the Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) issued a report titled “From Australia to America: Commemorating Khamenei in Western Mosques as Part of the Iranian Influence Network.” According to the report, many mosques and Shia centers in Western countries, such as England, Germany, and the U.S., commemorated the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the second supreme leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran:

The commemoration of Khamenei in various mosques in the West illustrates the depth of the ties between parts of the Shiite diaspora and the Iranian regime. Even when Iran’s regional status is being attacked and challenged, Islamic institutions in the diaspora continue to serve as an arena for preserving its ideological legitimacy. This demonstrates Iran’s soft power in the West—a religious influence network that helps the regime maintain its influence even in times of crisis.

At home, however, the Islamic Republic of Iran persecutes its Christian citizens. Conversion from Islam to Christianity is viewed as apostasy by Sharia law and carries the death penalty. Converts are often charged with moharebeh (enmity against God) or fisad fil-arz (corruption on earth), both of which are capital offenses, as they are accused of acting against national security. In addition, distributing Bibles in Iran is illegal and considered a criminal activity, particularly regarding Farsi-language Scriptures. The Islamic regime views the spread of Christianity as a threat to Islam, leading to severe restrictions, confiscation of Christian materials, and potential imprisonment for those involved. Converts also face immense pressure, including loss of jobs, surveillance, and raids on house churches.

There is not a single Muslim-majority country across the world where Muslims can convert to Christianity and continue living their lives in a free and safe manner. Christian converts risk discrimination, arrest, harassment, sexual or physical violence, surveillance by authorities, and even death. Muslim governments systematically restrict Christian worship and the distribution of Bibles, even deporting Christian migrants or pastors who proselytize Muslims. The same governments that persecute their Christian and ex-Muslim citizens have built thousands of mosques and Islamic centers across Western countries—sometimes even with EU funding. It appears that Islam is on a determined mission to conquer the world, and the West is busy bowing down to it.


TOPICS: Society
KEYWORDS: cancer; cancerousislam; christian; islam; jihad; mosques; muslimcancer; waronterror

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1 posted on 05/23/2026 7:31:23 AM PDT by MtnClimber
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To: MtnClimber

The suicide of the west.


2 posted on 05/23/2026 7:31:49 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: MtnClimber
Deserves repeating!

The suicide of the west.

3 posted on 05/23/2026 7:33:59 AM PDT by Taxman (We will never be a truly free people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS. )
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To: MtnClimber

You see it’s a states rights issue or is it? Aren’t we the UNITED States? Sounds like something for our dealmaker-in-chief.


4 posted on 05/23/2026 7:34:16 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: DIRTYSECRET

3,000 mosques in the US per Wikipedia.


5 posted on 05/23/2026 7:35:44 AM PDT by DIRTYSECRET
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To: MtnClimber

No, attack upon those who are civilized.

One thing to consider in regards the sponsoring countries is that if YOU found it possible to pay a pack of rabid dogs to go bother some other neighborhood, would you?


6 posted on 05/23/2026 7:39:20 AM PDT by bobbo666
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To: MtnClimber

Oh, those Muslims, they are sly. Taking advantage of “freedom of religion” as practiced in Christian-majority countries, while denying any such reciprocity in Muslim-majority countries.

Curious mindset. Why is it tolerated?


7 posted on 05/23/2026 7:39:56 AM PDT by alloysteel (The body may betray or fail. The spirit shall endure and prevail. Courage, courage.)
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To: MtnClimber

Filthy muslims are buying up churches all over the country and turning them into mosques. I have no proof but I think they are burning churches down too. Then buy them up when the church can’t afford to repair them. St.Paul’s church in Orlando, lead by a black female pastor, almost burned down the other day, complete with “racist graffiti.”


8 posted on 05/23/2026 7:40:11 AM PDT by subterfuge (What happened to my tagline?)
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To: Taxman

Why don’t we try some ‘reciprocating efforts’ from the Muslim communities overseas?

(probably violates the 1st Amendment; that is if you view Islam as a faith and not a government/socio-economic system)

If ‘we’ are so eager to apply US Constitutional standards to illegal aliens; let’s apply it around the world! Where Christians and Jews are persecuted (let’s measure by acts of violence) we deny (by state) the permits for new mosques and tear down the most recent put up by building permit date. After all, we can do some cultural appropriation ourselves on a national scale.


9 posted on 05/23/2026 7:40:14 AM PDT by linedrive ( )
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To: MtnClimber

ISLAM IS A WAR PLAN


10 posted on 05/23/2026 7:42:20 AM PDT by Puppage (You may disagree with what I have to say, but I shall defend to your death my right to says it.)
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To: DIRTYSECRET

Here in Central Florida there are four mosques within a 20 mile radius of my house.


11 posted on 05/23/2026 7:44:40 AM PDT by MtnClimber (For photos of scenery, wildlife and climbing, click on my screen name for my FR home page.)
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To: linedrive

IMHO, unless and until the US laws are changed to prohibit Moslem immigration, and we deport EVERY Moslem in America, we are doomed!

The U.S. Constitution is not a suicide pact!


12 posted on 05/23/2026 8:00:40 AM PDT by Taxman (We will never be a truly free people so long as we have the income tax and the IRS. )
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To: MtnClimber

We are now living in a situation something similar to that of the late 1920s.

The Nazis were not yet in power. But they were on the rise. Brownshirts were attacking their opponents in the streets. And in ‘Mein Kampf’ Hitler made it crystal clear what his intentions were.

Anyone who didn’t pass the Nazi purity test would be eliminated, one way or another.

All of this was ignored. The Nazis couldn’t possibly be as bad as their philosophy suggested! And so a terrible bloodbath followed.

Fast-forward to today. We are seeing the exact same thing.
Except that today’s Nazis are the Muslims.


13 posted on 05/23/2026 8:02:41 AM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: MtnClimber

> Here in Central Florida there are four mosques within a 20 mile radius of my house. <

Something very odd is going on. I live in an old rust belt mill town. In my youth I’d often come across immigrants from Eastern Europe. Their families came over to work in the mills - mills that are long gone.

Now it’s Muslims, only Muslims. And trailing behind the Muslim parents are lots of kids. I don’t get it. What is attracting them here?

Is it our welfare state?
Is it Islam’s command to dominate the world?

Eh, it’s most probably both.


14 posted on 05/23/2026 8:13:48 AM PDT by Leaning Right
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To: MtnClimber
politicians eager to court the Muslim immigrant vote.

Of course for short-term gain. What happens when those Muslims outnumber American voters?

The likes of Ilhan Omar writ large across the country.

15 posted on 05/23/2026 8:18:36 AM PDT by Bon of Babble (You Say You Want a Revolution?)
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To: alloysteel
Oh, those Muslims, they are sly. Taking advantage of “freedom of religion” as practiced in Christian-majority countries, while denying any such reciprocity in Muslim-majority countries. Curious mindset. Why is it tolerated?

Suicidal empathy as one author says.

16 posted on 05/23/2026 8:41:43 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Ok In anyq war between the civilized man and the savage, support lthe civilized man.👨 so t tv)
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To: MtnClimber

The west has fallen for the lie that islam is just a religion, like any other religion. It’s not. It’s a violent world-domination movement cleverly disguised as a religion. The disguise works. Westerners see no harm is promoting a silly religion and don’t know that they are promoting a death cult.


17 posted on 05/23/2026 8:54:23 AM PDT by I want the USA back (America is once again GREAT! Blue Lives Matter! White lives matter. )
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To: MtnClimber
We should be intolerant of Muslims in Western countries and do everything possible to encourage their departure.

Muslims should be forbidden to work in any government positions or be elected or appointed officials.

18 posted on 05/23/2026 9:14:37 AM PDT by flamberge (Nothing happens until somebody does something)
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To: alloysteel

“Curious mindset. Why is it tolerated?”

It should not be. However I would prefer that we did not allow the Koranimals into this country at all and complete the reciprocation by re-purposing all mosques that are already here. Most would make great hotels as they have many rooms. Many even have rooms set aside for security apparatus (rifles, pistols, single-use electronic timers, H/E ordinance, etc) and a few even have indoor target shooting ranges.


19 posted on 05/23/2026 9:33:17 AM PDT by ByteMercenary (Election 2020 was stolen by mail-in voting. Mail-in voting and RCV counting should be abolished.)
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To: MtnClimber

It is best described as “successful conquest”...


20 posted on 05/23/2026 10:17:30 AM PDT by SuperLuminal (Where is rabble-rising Sam Adams now that we need him? Is his name Trump, now?)
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