Kadyrov is one of addressees of petition on restoring Vladikavkaz mosque

Signatures are being collected on the Internet for the transfer of the planetarium building in Vladikavkaz to the Spiritual Administration of Muslims (SAM). The author of the petition has marked the head of Chechnya as one of its recipients.

In 2015, the building of the former Shiite mosque, which was a planetarium in Soviet times, was transferred to the Ministry of Culture of North Ossetia. In 2016, the authorities reported the start of repairs in the former mosque. The works are carried out without coordination and violate the appearance of the building, architects assert.

The petition "Return the Vladikavkaz Persian Mosque to the SAM of RNO-Alania" was posted on the "change.org" website on February 5. It is addressed to Vyacheslav Bitarov and Ramzan Kadyrov, the heads of North Ossetia and Chechnya, accordingly.

"In the population of the Republic of North Ossetia (RNO)-Alania, Muslims make about 15%; and among Ossetians – even more. The Muslim community is sadly watching what happens to the Persian Mosque in Vladikavkaz," the petition says.

The author of the Telegram channel "Alixandzinad" disagrees that Kadyrov, is mentioned as one of the addresses of the petition. "This is our republic's internal issue; and I see a mistake in attracting any third persons," he wrote.

According to Khadjimurat Gatsalov, the Mufti of North Ossetia, Muslims have suggested compromise options, but the authorities rejected them. In particular, the idea was to create a religion museum in the mosque, which was practiced in the territory of North Ossetia.