The new Essalam Mosque of Rotterdam, often said to be “the biggest mosque of Europe”, opened in December 2010 after more than a decade of conflict and controversy. The building was realised thanks to the financial backing of the Al Maktoum Foundation based in the United Arab Emirates. Together with the mayor, the sponsor representatives and local media, former “guest workers” – now Dutch citizens – marched from the original mosque to the new building in the same neighbourhood. The difference was striking: the former structure was small, poorly lit, with a very limited space for ablution and prayer, and only a small sign made it recognisable, whereas the new building was a purpose-built mosque, had two minarets and a dome, several floors, and windows on all sides so that the new carpets were bathed in light.

The Essalam Mosque's community consists mainly of Dutch-Moroccan elderly men, their sons and grandsons. The mosque is used to a lesser extent by women but also for example by local Somalian Muslims and international visitors from countries such as Egypt and Malaysia. Islam in the Netherlands has grown primarily as a result of migrations after the Second World War. The guest workers who first settled in cities such as Rotterdam “became” Muslims – that is to say, their Muslim identities were brought to the fore with greater emphasis when it dawned on them and their Dutch hosts that they and their children would stay. In the past decades, the desire for cultural and religious recognition has become more important and remains pertinent today. “Wij blijven hier” (“We are staying here”) is the title of a popular blog of young Dutch Muslims, created half a century after the first guest workers arrived. The blog's statement of purpose shows that decades of debates on recognition have not resolved the issue: “We [Dutch Muslims] are staying here! Because we are born here or raised here. Because this is our country and we enjoy living here and would like to keep it that way.”