(DPA ) LJUBLJANA MAYORESS BLOCKS MOSQUE REFERENDUM
LJUBLJANA MAYORESS BLOCKS MOSQUE REFERENDUM
2004-02-24 10:41 (New York)
Ljubljana (dpa) - The Mayoress of the Slovene capital Ljubljana,
Danica Simsic, said Tuesday she was blocking a referendum on the
construction of what would be Slovenia's first-ever mosque on the
outskirts of Ljubljana.
Simsic said she would use her authority to block the decision on
holding April 4 referendum, which was adopted by the city council last
Friday, because she considers it unconstitutional.
``I'm convinced that this referendum would represent an unlawful
encroachment on the constitutionally-guaranteed rights of a religious
minority, in this case the Islamic community,'' Simsic said in a press
release.
Last Friday, Ljubljana city council announced that controversial
proposal to build a mosque in the Slovene capital of Ljubljana is to be
put to referendum.
Of the two million people living in Slovenia, the majority are
Roman Catholic and many are opposed to the mosque on the grounds that it
represents a different culture.
The estimated 50,000 Moslems living in Slovenia are mainly Bosnian
Moslems or Kosovo Albanians who migrated to Slovenia in the past two
decades.
The proposed site for the mosque has also angered opponents as it is to
be built on the outskirts of the city and would be one of the first sights
to greet visitors to Ljubljana. dpa im sc