The mosque was seized and closed in the 1920s to be used as a cinema and then a restaurant that served alcohol. PHOTO: WORLD BULLETIN
RUSSIA: The Red Juma Mosque located in Russia's Tomsk region has reopened for worship after 90 years.
The mosque was first opened in 1901 but was seized and closed in the 1920s to be used as a cinema and then a restaurant that served alcohol.
In 2002, restorations began to open the mosque for worship. An official ceremony marked the opening of the mosque for the Muslim population.
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Tomsk Governor Sergey Jvachkin, Mayor Ivan Kleyin, Chechen Republic Parliament Speaker Dukuvah Adurakhmanov, and Chechen Republic Mutfi Salah Haci Meciev officiated the ceremony which was also attended by numerous representatives of the Islamic community as well as hundreds of Muslims that were part of the congregation.
Guests were greeted at the entrance of the mosque Russia's Asia Representative Mufti Seyh Nfigullah Asirov and Tomsk Regional Mufti and Red Juma Mosque Imam Nizomutdin Jumaev.
The ceremony was opened with a recitation from the Holy Quran and a special speech to thank the attendees.
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The Tomsk community had assisted with the renovations of the mosque and the Russian governor pointed out how the restoration of the mosque beautified the entire city.
Friday congregational prayers were held with the attendees once the ceremony was over, and this marked the mosque as being open for service.
Many took to Twitter to share the news of the reopening of the mosque:
The Red Juma Mosque, located in the Tomsk region of Russia has opened for worship once again after 90 years.http://t.co/R3Lb3XK25X
— Mufti Yusuf Moosagie (@muftimoosagie) April 2, 2015
https://twitter.com/shahbaz_dar/status/584181593041809409
Red Juma mosque opens after 90 years: The mosque was first opened in 1901 but was seized and closed in the 192... http://t.co/5ueqBATn8g
— Ramy Abdeljabbar 🐱🐶🇺🇸🇵🇸🇦🇲☪️ (@Ramdog1980) April 4, 2015
This article originally appeared on World Bulletin
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