A historic Catholic church that was converted into a mosque for Venice's Biennale art fair will close down amid claims proper permissions hadn't been sough to use the space as a place of worship Muslims gather to pray inside the former Misericordia Abbey in Venice in what was once a Catholic church Muslims gathered to pray inside the former Misericordia Abbey in Venice on May 15 Photo: AP Photo/Luigi Costantini By Nick Squires, in Rome8:13PM BST 22 May 2015 A historic Catholic church that was converted into a mosque for Venice's Biennale art fair has been ordered to close down by the city's authorities. The organisers of the provocative "installation" said their intention had been to probe the boundaries of religious freedom and to highlight the controversy that has arisen over plans to build mosques in Western countries. But the Venetian authorities said they had never obtained permission for the church to be used as a place of religious worship and that the order for it to be shut down had nothing to do with religious intolerance. � Venice rips off tourists, says complaint taken to EU � Venice Biennale 2015: everything you need to know City officials said that the provocative stunt had also contravened safety regulations because the number of visitors, including Muslims worshiping in the temporary mosque, had exceeded the building's capacity. Nearly 130 people had entered the church for Friday prayers, whereas the maximum allowed by safety regulations was 90, Venice council said in a statement. "The organisers took advantage of ambiguity, asking permission for an artistic exhibit, but then creating a mosque," said Vittorio Zappalorto, Venice's acting mayor. Muslim men participated in Friday prayers last week at the converted mosque (AP Photo/Luigi Costantini) The mosque opened two weeks ago in the deconsecrated church of Santa Maria della Misercordia and was Iceland's contribution to the Biennale, an international art fair that is held in the lagoon city every two years. The plan was that it would stay open for the entire seven-month duration of the Biennale. The organisers now have two months in which to lodge an appeal against the closure with a regional tribunal. The installation, called simply The Mosque, was the work of Christop B�chel, an artist of joint Swiss and Icelandic nationality. It was intended to underline the fact that Venice, despite its centuries-old trading links with the Levant and beyond, does not have a mosque. � Venice Biennale 2015, International Art Exhibition, review: 'hectoring and joyless' A 'mihrab' � a niche in the wall that indicates the direction of Mecca � was installed in the church, which is located in the Cannaregio district of Venice, and prayer carpets laid on the floor. Icelandic art officials said the fact that the mosque had created such a fuss meant that the installation had fulfilled its purpose of opening up a debate on Islam in the West and the limits of religious freedom. "Christoph B�chel's work The Mosque is intended to shed light on institutionalized segregation and prejudices in society, including the conflicts that arise due to policies regarding immigration, which are pivotal in national and religious disputes all over the world. It is fair to say that this goal has been achieved," Bj�rg Stef�nsd�ttir, the director of the Icelandic Art Centre, the institution behind the initiative, wrote in an open letter. The mosque had become "one of the most visited exhibitions outside of the main exhibition area of the Biennale," despite being located in a part of Venice that was hard to find, he said. "The debate that is now going on � is a sharp reflection of current affairs, prejudices and conditions worldwide today." The exterior of the old church (AP) Venice and its surrounding area, including the industrial port of Mestre on the mainland, has a population of around 20,000 Muslims. The community's leaders said they were disappointed that the mosque had been ordered to close. "It was an initiative aimed at tolerance but the reaction of the city was hardly balanced � this was a temporary mosque that was only meant to stay open for seven months," said Mohamed Amin Al Ahdab, the leader of the Muslim community in Venice.
No comments:
Post a Comment
Keep a civil tongue.