Bahrain will fund preparatory work on a new Grand Mosque being constructed in Finland, it has emerged.

It will be built on an area of 10,000 sq m in the capital Helsinki, said a report in the Gulf Daily News (GDN), our sister publication.

In addition to worship the mosque will offer several services, including healthcare, and act as a venue for international gatherings.

“In practice, this start-up phase means preparatory work and an international architectural competition with a combined cost of less than one million euro,” Forum for Culture and Religion chairman Iari Rantakari told Yle, Finland’s national public-broadcasting company.

He said remaining funding would be sought from a number of international sources, adding the project management would be handled by a foundation to be established in Finland.

The final cost of the project could be more than €100 million ($109 million).

“The vision is for a services and conference centre associated with the mosque, which will include a swimming hall, office space, a healthcare service and large facilities for holding, for example, international gatherings,” said Rantakari.

The project is now awaiting a decision by the City of Helsinki to allocate a site where it could be constructed.

Among areas suggested are the Kalasatama district, Hanasaari and central Pasila.

“The Kalasatama district would be good as the largest part of Helsinki’s Muslim population live in the eastern part of the city,” said Rantakari. - TradeArabia News Service