The New Zealand Herald: World Story The mosque at the end of the earth 5:00AM Tuesday April 17, 2007 By Robin Paxton
The Nurd Kamal mosque provides a splash of colour in the dreary arctic landscape. Photo / Reuters Mukum Sidikov's grandfather left Norilsk after surviving the labour camps of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin. Sidikov, caretaker of the world's most northerly mosque, retraced his grandfather's footsteps in search of well-paid work in the Russian Arctic. Now he estimates the city is home to about 50,000 Muslims - just under a quarter of the region's population of about 210,000. Most are from Azerbaijan and the Russian republic of Dagestan and work as traders or construction workers. But as pay levels no longer compare so favourably with other Russian cities and Norilsk restricts access for foreigners, Sidikov says fellow Muslims no longer come here. "The population is getting smaller. People are leaving," said Sidikov, 40, an ethnic Uzbek born and raised in Kyrgyzstan. The Nurd Kamal mosque stands exposed on the edge of modern Norilsk, where temperatures drop to -50C. Polar winds whip its golden roof and snowdrifts pile against the turquoise walls in winter. "People work for pennies. They come here and lose their health. Every second person is ill," said Sidikov. A city built on one of the world's richest metals deposits, Norilsk's first smelter was built by Gulag prisoners in the 1930s and today three plants send smoke thick with sulphur into the air. The city was last year named among the world's 10 most polluted places by independent environmental action group The Blacksmith Institute. Its main employer, Norilsk Nickel, is investing heavily in cutting emissions. There are more than 20 million Muslims in Russia, approximately 14 per cent of the country's 140 million population. The Central Asians and Dagestanis are likely to be Sunnis, while those from Azerbaijan are most likely to be Shiites. There is no antagonism between the sects in Norilsk and many Soviet Muslims are not among the strictest practitioners of Islam. "There are many Muslims, but few come to the mosque. They work all day and in the evening they are tired," Sidikov said. About 500 to 600 people typically show for Friday prayers. The mosque, opened in 1998, was built by Mukhtad Bekmeyev, an ethnic Tatar and Norilsk native now residing in the Black Sea city of Sochi, nearly 4000km away. He named the mosque after his parents and will pay for its restoration this year. - REUTERS
