AI Overview

The first purpose-built mosque in Switzerland is the Mahmood Mosque (German: Mahmud-Moschee). It is located in the city of Zurich and was built in 1963 by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community. It features an 18-meter-high minaret. Wikipedia +2

Key Details About the Mosque

• Location: Forchstrasse, Zurich (Balgrist district)
• Built: 1963
• Built by: Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
• Minaret: Yes Wikipedia +1

Historical Significance

• Early Opening: It was a rare Islamic structure in Europe at the time.
• Inauguration: Opened by Sir Muhammad Zafrulla Khan, then-President of the UN General Assembly.
• Minaret Ban Context: Because it was built before the 2009 Swiss minaret referendum, it remains one of the few mosques in the country legally allowed to have a minaret.

and your Associate Chief Editor Alhaji Mohammad Rafiq Ahmad Tschannen, took part in the inauguration.

Rafiq Tschannen, 3rd from the left. Mushtaq Ahmad Bajwa, first Imam of the Mahmud Mosque, 5th from the left. Dr. Hassan Yahya Bajwa, the baby being carried… Photo around the time of the inauguration, just before…