Romanian Muslims, some with Ottoman roots, largely spared Islamophobic rhetoric seen in neighbouring countries.
People know and like their Muslim neighbours and they don’t believe everything they see on TV.
Source: Al Jazeera
The Grand Mosque of Constanta in southeast Romania has a hulking minaret nearly 50 metres high overlooking the Black Sea.
It was constructed as a symbol of gratitude to the city’s Muslim community on the orders of King Carol I in 1910.
Much has since changed in Romania, but that sentiment remains.
Constanta lies in Dobruja, an ethnically diverse region split between Romania and Bulgaria, where the River Danube meets the sea.
Ottoman Turks invaded the region in the late 15th century and subsequently expanded further into Romania.
Several centuries of Turkish rule followed, bringing settlers from across the empire.
Northern Dobruja came under Romanian control only in 1878, after the young kingdom defeated the ailing Ottoman Empire with assistance from Russia.
Categories: Religion, The Muslim Times