The oldest mosque in Germany is located in Berlin: During the war, it was a refuge for refugees from Bosnia and Herzegovina

(Patria) - The oldest mosque in Germany is located in the Wilmersdorf district of Berlin. That's why it's called the Wilmersdorf Mosque.

During the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina, this place of worship was also a refuge for believers who settled in Berlin.

On Fridays, there is a large crowd in front of the mosque on Briennerstraße. Expensive cars with diplomatic plates are parked all around, and drivers patiently wait for the diplomats to return after Friday prayers.

However, many believers also come on foot. The mosque is full, so prayers are also held in front of its doors. The imam's sermon can be heard outside, and passers-by stop and peek over the fence, writes Deutsche Welle.

Believers do not want to answer any questions. They say they just want to fulfill their religious duty.

Before the prayer, they go briefly to the ablution rooms. Some have also brought their young children.

Today, the oldest German mosque is officially a place of worship for Muslims from Pakistan, belonging to the Ahmadiyya community, founded in India in the 19th century.

Its current name is "Lahore Ahmadiyya", but on Fridays, believers of various nationalities come to it.

"Love for all, hatred for none" is the official slogan of this Islamic movement.

Its proponents claim that it was founded under divine guidance with the aim of "rejuvenating Islamic morals and spiritual values, promoting interfaith dialogue, and striving to correct misconceptions about Islam in the West, advocating for peace, tolerance, love, and understanding among followers of different faiths".

These were also the primary motives of the Muslims who came to Berlin in 1920 from the Lahore province in India and, together with German Muslims, founded the German-Muslim Society.

Shortly thereafter, in 1924, according to the plans of Berlin architect K. A. Hermann, construction began on the mosque, built in the style of Indo-Islamic so-called Mughal architecture, the same style in which the famous Taj Mahal in India was built.

Therefore, some call the Berlin mosque a miniature Taj Mahal. Perhaps this is an exaggerated compliment, but the beautiful building with two tall minarets and a dome is in any case a very successful architectural achievement.

The Berlin mosque was completed and officially opened on March 23, 1928. Its first administrator was the writer Hugo Marcus, a Jew who converted to Islam and remained a member of the Berlin Jewish community despite this.

At that time, a large number of mosque members were Jewish converts. In January 1934, religious weddings began to be performed there; the first couple were Abdullah Dayer and Fatima Adaresh from Berlin.

Shortly thereafter, on January 30, 1933, the President of the Weimar Republic, Paul von Hindenburg, appointed Adolf Hitler as Chancellor.

The National Socialists began to closely monitor the mosque's activities, accusing it of harboring Jews.

Hugo Marcus fled to Switzerland, and in 1941, Adolf Hitler invited the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Mohammed Amin al-Husseini, to Berlin.

The anti-Semite Al-Husseini hoped for Hitler's support in the fight against the creation of a Jewish state in the territory of then-Palestine.

In street fighting in Berlin at the end of World War II, Stalin's Red Army forces damaged the mosque, firing at Hitler's soldiers who were defending themselves from the minarets.

In 1948, the Allies decided to renovate the Wilmersdorf Mosque with financial assistance from the Ahmadiyya community in the United States.

It reopened its doors on June 24, 1952, again as an Ahmadiyya mosque.

A portion of the war refugees who found refuge in Berlin at the beginning of the war in Bosnia and Herzegovina also performed their religious duties here under the leadership of Imam Ahmet MaIkić.

Even today, this place of worship stands behind the principles for which it was founded, primarily fostering interfaith dialogue.

It regularly participates in events such as Open Mosque Day, which is traditionally held in Germany on German Unity Day, October 3rd.

On that day, its premises are even more crowded throughout the day than on Fridays during Friday prayers.