Helsinki Administrative Court dismisses mosque’s appeal over penalty notice in Helsinki

The Helsinki Administrative Court has dismissed appeals concerning a penalty notice issued last year to a mosque operating in an apartment building in Helsinki. The property owner, Asunto Oy Ormuspuisto, and the organization running the mosque, Pohjoismaiden Säätiö sr, challenged a decision made by the City of Helsinki’s Environmental and Permitting Board in October 2023. The city had mandated that the premises, previously used as a daycare, could not serve as a gathering place for the foundation under threat of a fine. They were ordered to cease its use for this purpose by the end of January 2024.

Helsinki Mayor Juhana Vartiainen stated in September 2023 that municipal building supervision is actively working to ensure the unauthorized mosque shuts down. According to the city, the premises were being used for purposes that did not align with its intended use. Before 2012, the 450-square-meter space on the ground floor of the apartment building was licensed for daycare, but it later became home to the religious association, Pohjoismaiden Säätiö. An action request made to construction supervision by a building owner cited noise disturbances from communal meals and prayers due to the foundation’s activities.

The Administrative Court’s ruling noted that the religious activities conducted at the location do not qualify as daycare under the building permit. The foundation argued in its appeal that the space is not a mosque but rather a center focused on activities for children and youth, also housing office work. They claimed the activities aim to promote knowledge of Islam, but the foundation is not a formally registered religious community. They contest the penalty as excessive, with the city’s base fine set at €100,000, while Asunto Oy Ormuspuisto faces a €25,000 penalty and contends the fine should primarily target the foundation if the decision stands.