Maryam Mosque

Maryam Mosque
Maryam Mosque
Moscheea Maria
Religion
Affiliation	Islam
Leadership	Daniel Cîniparu
Location
Location	Rediu, Bâra commune, Neamț County, Romania
	Location of the Maryam Mosque in Romania
Geographic coordinates	47°0′32.251″N 26°59′46.514″E / 47.00895861°N 26.99625389°E
Architecture
Type	Mosque
Founder	Daniel Cîniparu
Funded by	Foreigners, Muslims by birth, Romanian converts to Islam

The Maryam Mosque, also known as the Maria Mosque (Romanian: Moscheea Maria), is a mosque located in Rediu, in the Bâra commune (Neamț County) in Romania, for Romanian converts to Islam. It was inaugurated in the summer of 2014 by Daniel Cîniparu, a Transylvanian^[1]^[2] from Turda who moved to Rediu as the lands there were cheaper. He built there one house for his family and one building for practicing Islam, the Maryam Mosque.^[2]

The Maryam Mosque was built through funds donated by foreigners, Muslims from birth and converted Romanians.^[1]^[2] At its foundation attended the local authorities of Bâra and several Muslims throughout Romania. Cîniparu claimed that, at the time of the foundation of the mosque, there were about 12 Muslims within a 30 kilometres (19 miles) radius around Rediu, although his family was the only Muslim one in the village. Daniel Cîniparu's wife, Maria Cîniparu, had willingly converted to Islam as well, and both had three children, all of them baptized Orthodox Christians. The mosque does not adhere to any specific branch of Islam.^[1] Cîniparu has said that he has received insults for his decision and that he admires Dobruja for the peaceful coexistence of religions there. As of 2015, the Maryam Mosque served 8 people.^[2]

As of 2017, between 18 and 20 people had converted in the mosque, mostly Romanians but also some foreigners, who were originally Orthodox or Greek Catholic.^[3]