ROTTERDAM, 10/07/03 - The Essalam Mosque in Rotterdam is facing uncertainties. If an Arabian sheikh does not sign a property exchange contract with the council before 31 August, then the construction of Europe's largest mosque could be in jeopardy.

The local council agreed in 1999 with the plans for the Moroccan mosque's construction. Leefbaar Rotterdam, the largest local party since last year, is vehemently opposing the plans but cannot undo the decision. The prayer house is to be adorned with 50 meter high minarets and a 25 meter high dome.

The super mosque is designed to replace the Essalam foundation's smaller prayer house. The brain and financier of the plan, Sheikh Alsayegh from the United Arabian Emirates, must however first exchange the old ground for the new location, as the contract is null and void without his signature.

In a letter, Alderman Van der Tak (Social Integration) has urged the Essalam foundation to make haste. In addition, the mosque management has been requested to boost the integration of its visitors. A recently published report by the municipal statistics bureau COS reveals that Moroccan mosques in Rotterdam keep strongly aloof from society.