Venice authorities halt mosque construction project
A suburb of Venice has abandoned plans to build a mosque, despite the fact that representatives of the Bengali community had already purchased a plot of land for approximately 1.5 million euros.
City authorities decided that "the time has not yet come" for the appearance of a new Muslim religious center, VeneziaToday reports.
The mosque was planned to be built in Mestre — the mainland part of Venice, home to a large community of natives of Bangladesh.
The initiative, according to the publication, emerged back under the former mayor Luigi Brugnaro. He proposed that one of the most prominent representatives of the local Bengali diaspora raise money and prepare a project for a religious center. The necessary plan was presented in 2025.
Preparations continued on a practical level as well: a group of city residents and investors of Bengali origin purchased the territory designated for construction. The deal cost approximately 1.5 million euros.
However, Venice's new mayor Simone Venturini effectively put the project on pause. In a conversation with journalists, he stated that the city is not yet ready for the creation of such a place of worship.
Moreover, Venturini linked his objections not so much to the construction itself as to the integration of the Bengali community.
In the mayor's opinion, its representatives need to have a better knowledge of the Italian language, comply with established rules, and ensure equal treatment of women. Separately, Venturini touched upon an everyday problem, calling on members of the community to stop leaving garbage in places not intended for it.
