Mosque construction near Leaning Tower of Pisa protested by hundreds

Hundreds of Pisa residents protested Saturday the local council's approval of a mosque construction near the iconic Leaning Tower and charged Islam as a religion of hatred.

The "No Mosque" campaign, led by the center-right Forza Italia party, garnered more than 2,000 signatures calling for a referendum on the decision as they claim that majority of the city's 90,000 population seeks to overturn it.

Those opposed sought to block the mosque construction on the grounds that the location's too close to the Italian monument and that the mosque would only breed radicalism.

"It's not just that it would be built in the wrong location, just 400 metres from the Leaning Tower, but also because people know that mosques are places where there is a risk of radicalization," Forza Italia party member Gianluca Gambini told the Daily Telegraph.

MP Daniela Santanche also vehemently opposed the mosque construction.

"Today we are at war, whether you like it or not, and we have to fight it with whatever we have. Mosques should be closed, not opened, because they are not places of worship, but places that preach hatred," said Santanche.

The campaigners held the protest just more than a week after authorities arrested 26-year-old Bilel Chiahoui, a Tunisian with avowed sympathies for the Islamic State extremist group. Chiahoui posted threats on social media to blow himself up at the Leaning Tower.

Izzedin Elzir, head of the Union of Italian Islamic Communities, maintained that the Muslims' rights should also be protected and accused the campaign of "prejudice and opposition." Elzir also accused the politicians of only trying to win votes by spreading the fear caused by terrorist attacks in the neighboring countries of France, Belgium, and Germany.

"They need to take responsibility for fanning the flames of prejudice and creating panic," he told Religion News Service.

He added that there're about 3,000 Muslim residents in the area and that about 300 of them regularly attend the Friday prayers in Pisa.

Pisa's Mayor Marco Filippeschi also cited that Muslims have been attending the small mosque in Pisa for the past 20 years. He added that the local council would not spend even once cent on the €4.5m mosque project.