Bahrain Mirror: Council of Finnish Capital Helsinki voted against the plan to build a mosque in the capital after Bahrain announced desire to fund its construction, as Abdulhadi Khalaf (who resides in Sweden) confirmed on his own Twitter account.

Middle East Eye website had published a report revealing plans for a grand mosque in Finnish capital "Helsinki" backed by Bahrain, indicating that this plan has raised fears of the spread of extremist Wahhabi beliefs in the country and prompted calls to prevent Gulf influence in society.

But news that the project will be financially backed by the oil-rich Gulf state of Bahrain with $135 million has sparked a national debate on Muslim integration and the influence of so-called Wahhabi Islam on the country.

Though Bahrain funds a number of think tanks such as the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies, the Helsinki mosque is thought to be the first it has backed in Europe.

Arabic Version