Muslims in Poland seek new prayer centre as community outgrows existing spaces

Muslims in Poland seek new prayer centre as community outgrows existing spaces
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A Muslim foundation in Kraków is advancing plans to establish a new prayer and community centre in Poland’s second-largest city, as the local Muslim population continues to grow and existing facilities struggle to meet demand.

According to Muslim Network TV, the Al-Fajr Foundation, which describes itself as an Islamic and cultural organisation dedicated to serving Muslims in Kraków and across Poland, has launched a fundraising campaign to secure a 360-square-metre space.

The centre would serve as a prayer room, educational hub offering Qur’an studies and Arabic language classes, and a community support facility. The foundation says its two existing locations are stretched beyond capacity.

Al-Fajr is seeking to raise 250,000 zloty (€59,000) to cover renovation costs and six months of rent, with nearly 63,000 zloty donated so far.

In response to the move, far-right parliamentary group Confederation has organised protests against the plans and called on security services to investigate the foundation’s funders — a move the Muslim community regards as discriminatory and without basis.

Poland is home to one of Europe’s oldest Muslim communities, the Lipka Tatars, present in the region since the 14th century. The country’s broader Muslim population is estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000.