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About 30 youth stayed in the mosque on Ramles way in Rosengård, despite the fact that the association which runs the mosque was to be evicted today.
"We youth are doing this for ourselves and for all of Rosengård."
The Islamic Cultural Association has been in this place in Rosengård for 16 years. And the youth have been here for just as long.
"This was like a youth center for us. We played ping pong and studied homework here. We the older take care of the younger. It worked well and we have respect among the kids," says Mohammed Khalid, who is one of those who are now protesting by staying in the place.
But now the eviction will take place and hundred of Rosengård youth will lose their place of meeting. Despite the fact that the rent always came o time, real estate company Contentus evicted the association that used the place. But a new place wasn't offered.
"No to discrimination, we will have our rights.""No to eviction without cause. Yes to cooperation."
Sysvenskan
It's not the place itself which is important, even if Mohammad Khalid will miss it. "Obviously it hurts. I've been here since I was a kid," he says. It's the activity which the youth themselves built up for several years and which according to Mohammad Khalid prevented many youth from ending up badly. "We have done much here. why not just continue to build on it. They seem to ignore everything we built up.
Mohammad Khalid says he often talks with the kids who come to the place, some not older than 8 or 9.
"If somebody starts hanging around with the wrong gang or thinks it's fun to throw stones at the police or so, we spoke with them. That it isn't good, that it's bad for them and we have respect," he says.
He brings as an example that the windows of a nearby school are often smashed by stone throwing. "The windows of the mosque are never smashed. Nobody will ever do that," he says.
Source: KVP (Swedish)
See also: Malmö: Muslims evicted from basement mosque
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