Gävle Mosque
| Gävle Mosque | |
|---|---|
 Mosque exterior in 2016 | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Islam |
| Sect | Sunni |
| Location | |
| Municipality | Gävle Municipality |
| Country | Sweden |
 Interactive map of Gävle Mosque | |
| Coordinates | 60°40′08″N 17°09′06″E / 60.668778°N 17.151778°E |
The Al-Rashideen Mosque, commonly known as the Gävle Mosque is a mosque in Gävle, Sweden, located in the outskirts of the city's old town.[1] The building, originally a church, was purchased in 2008 and renovated with financing from a Qatari foundation. It was attacked with arson in 2016, but the fire was quickly extinguished.
The mosque has been the subject of controversy due to former imam Abo Raad's alleged connections with Islamism. By 2023, it had new leadership, although reporting has suggested a continued relationship with another controversial imam, Fekri Hamad.
History
[edit]The building was purchased for use as a Sunni mosque in March 2008 for 5,150,000 SEK from the Methodist Church.[2][3] The project was financed by the Sheik Eid Mohammad Al-Thani Charity Organization from Qatar.[4]
In September 2015, Gävle-based liberal newspaper Gefle Dagblad received a bomb threat after reporting on alleged connections between the mosque and the Islamic State.[5] The person who called in the threat demanded the newspaper remove an article about imam Abo Raad from their website. No bomb was ultimately found.[6]
The mosque was attacked with arson on 29 April 2016. The fire was quickly extinguished.[7][8]
In 2017, Abo Raad's son Raad al-Duhan was convicted of threatening journalist Anna Gullberg, who was then the editor-in-chief of Gefle Dagblad.[9][10]
Abo Raad was taken into custody in April 2018 after SÄPO determined him to be a security threat. In August, he was charged with unlawful coercion after a journalist from Gefle Dagblad reported being forced to delete photographs.[11] That charge was later dropped.[12] The Swedish Migration Agency decided to deport Abo Raad in 2019.[13]
As of 2023, the mosque had acquired different leadership and stated they wanted to "turn over a new leaf."[4] Although the new board said that deported imam Fekri Hamad was prohibited from lecturing, videos showed he was still active in the mosque.[14][15]
References
[edit]- ↑ Wikström, Erik (25 March 2019). "Oro bland Gävles muslimer efter moskéattacken i Nya Zeeland: "Hoppas att det inte händer här"" [Concern among Muslims in Gävle after mosque attack in New Zealand: “Hope it doesn't happen here”]. Arbetarbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "Metodistkyrka blir moské i Gävle" [Methodist church becomes mosque in Gävle]. Kyrkans Tidning (in Swedish). 31 October 2007. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "En moské med många möjligheter" [A mosque with many possibilities]. Arbetarbladet (in Swedish). 28 June 2009. Archived from the original on 22 December 2015. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- 1 2 Jansson, Arvid (12 April 2023). "Ny styrelse i Gävlemoskén vill vända blad – utvisningsdömda imamer inte välkomna" [New board at Gävle Mosque wants to turn over a new leaf – imams sentenced to deportation not welcome]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "Bombhot mot Gefle Dagblad" [Bomb threat against Gefle Dagblad]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 10 September 2015. Archived from the original on 19 October 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ↑ Roos, Jimmy (11 September 2015). "Gefle Dagblad bombhotat" [Gefle Dagblad bomb threat]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 21 June 2024. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ↑ "Brandattentat mot Gävle Moské - P4 Gävleborg" [Arson attack on Gävle Mosque - P4 Gävleborg]. Sveriges Radio (in Swedish). 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 6 December 2022. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "Brandattentat mot moské i Gävle" [Arson attack on mosque in Gävle]. Ystads Allehanda (in Swedish). 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 26 September 2025. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ Carlsson, Mattias; Ewald, Hugo (5 May 2021). "Ekots reporter inledde relation med dömd islamist" [Ekot reporter started a relationship with a convicted Islamist]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 13 September 2025.
I maj 2017 dömdes mannen till böter och villkorlig dom för att ha hotat Expressen-journalisten Anna Gullberg som då var chefredaktör för tidningen Gefle Dagblad. Hoten var kopplade till en granskning som Gefle Dagblad gjort av islamisterna.
[In May 2017, the man was fined and given a suspended sentence for threatening Expressen journalist Anna Gullberg, who was then editor-in-chief of the newspaper Gefle Dagblad. The threats were linked to an investigation by Gefle Dagblad into Islamists.] - ↑ "Newspaper editor threatened after mosque story". Sveriges Radio. 31 May 2016. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 13 September 2025.
- ↑ "Inlåst Gävleimam åtalas för olaga tvång" [Imprisoned Gävle imam charged with unlawful coercion]. Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). 28 August 2019. ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ "Åtal mot inlåsta Gävleimamen nedlagt" [Charges against imprisoned Gävle imam dropped]. Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). 11 October 2019. ISSN 1101-2447. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ Zangana, Beri (12 June 2019). "Imam vid Gävle moské ska utvisas". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). ISSN 1101-2412. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ Jansson, Arvid (20 April 2023). "Bilderna visar Fekri Hamad i mosken: "Vad är problemet? Jag varken predikar eller föreläser"" [The pictures show Fekri Hamad in the mosque: “What's the problem? I'm not preaching or lecturing.”]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 2 December 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
- ↑ Jansson, Arvid (20 April 2023). "Filmer visar att Fekri Hamad fortfarande är aktiv i moskén" [Films show that Fekri Hamad is still active in the mosque]. SVT Nyheter (in Swedish). Archived from the original on 7 November 2024. Retrieved 14 September 2025.
