KRAKÓW, Poland (MNTV) — A Muslim foundation in Kraków is pushing ahead with plans to establish a new prayer and community centre in Poland’s second-largest city, as the local Muslim population continues to grow and existing facilities struggle to meet demand.
The Al-Fajr Foundation, which describes itself as an Islamic and cultural organisation dedicated to serving Muslims in Kraków and across Poland, has launched a fundraising campaign to secure a 360-square-metre space, as reported by Notes from Poland.
The centre would serve as a prayer room, educational hub offering Qur’an studies and Arabic language classes, and a community support facility. The foundation says its two existing locations are stretched beyond capacity.
Al-Fajr is seeking to raise 250,000 zloty (€59,000) to cover renovation costs and six months of rent, with nearly 63,000 zloty donated so far.
The foundation has been keen to clarify that the planned facility is not a mosque and would not feature minarets or public calls to prayer — a point confirmed by local newspaper Gazeta Krakowska, which noted that misinformation has fuelled much of the opposition.
When Al-Fajr organised a public meeting to address residents’ concerns, only two people attended, suggesting that local opposition may be narrower than portrayed. The foundation has said it understands that new initiatives raise questions, particularly when incomplete information circulates.
Despite this, far-right parliamentary group Confederation has organised protests against the plans and called on security services to investigate the foundation’s funders — a move the Muslim community regards as discriminatory and without basis.
Poland is home to one of Europe’s oldest Muslim communities, the Lipka Tatars, present in the region since the 14th century. The country’s broader Muslim population is estimated at between 20,000 and 60,000.