Since Portugal is a very rich country where the people have a very high quality of life (sarc.), it is possible to be very generous towards the believers of the Muslim religion. That is why the city council of Lisbon will donate 3 million euros of Portuguese money for the construction of a Muslim mosque.
I ask, what does the State of a country have to do with religion, whatever it may be? Religion is something deeply personal that concerns only each individual, including the option of not following any religion.
Moreover, unfortunately, we are talking about a religion that is totally intolerant of other religions and incompatible with democracy, human rights and freedom of expression. Wait, Portugal is exactly that too!
This decision of the Portuguese State is the most stupid and insulting that could happen to the Portuguese people.
The following article is a translation (mostly MT). You can find the link to the original website at the end of it.
The new Muslim mosque in Lisbon, to be built in 2017 between the streets of Palma and Benformoso, in Mouraria, will cost three million euros, the Chamber announced today.
According to the proposal, which was unanimously approved at this afternoon’s meeting, the new mosque “aims to serve the Muslim community, which currently occupies a space in Mouraria [in Beco de São Marçal] under conditions that are very limited compared to its needs.
three buildings located on the streets of Palma and Benformoso, with a view to implementing the ‘Praça-Mouraria’, which also involves the creation of a covered plaza and a garden.
To achieve this, demolitions will have to be carried out: of a municipal building located at numbers 248 to 264 of Rua da Palma and the buildings that adjoin it to the north, facing Rua do Benformoso.
Speaking at the meeting, the counselor for Urbanism, Manuel Salgado, stated that 1.4 million euros is due for the payment of compensation to the entities that occupy the buildings and that the remaining 1.5 million euros refer to works.
Furthermore, it will be up to the Muslim community to carry out the finishing work.
The mayor said that the “relocation” of the National Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives of Portugal (Confragri), which is in one of these spaces, is “planned to be relocated.”
Recalling that the project “was already approved in the previous term”, Manuel Salgado justified the delay with the “difficulty in mobilizing financial resources” for its continuation.
The mayor of the municipality, Fernando Medina, highlighted that the construction of the mosque is a “mark of openness to everyone and saying that everyone is welcome.”
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I’m Portuguese and contact hundreds of different people every day. I totally understand your point of view and can say things will change very soon, for the better.