Sofia councilors from ultra-nationalist Ataka party will demand a referendum in the city on the planned construction of a second mosque in the Bulgarian capital. Their argument is that Muslims in Sofia have one mosque and that is more than enough, and Sofia does not need a "centre for Islamic education" in the words of Ataka leader Volen Siderov.

"There are Islamic factions in Bulgaria who are seeking to impose Islam as a dominant force in a Christian European country. Ataka are categorically opposed to any form of promotion of the Islamic faith, or construction of mosques or Islamic education centres," Siderov said. "We demand to know where the money for such construction comes from," he added, knowing that an eventual investigation regarding the source of the investment will postpone the mosque's construction.

Siderov also argued that, according to Sofia's main architect Petar Dikov, there is no such plan for the construction of a second mosque, but an official request has been submitted for the creation of an Islamic educational centre in Malinova Dolina. "The lack of a firm hand in Sofia will allow for radical Islamic factions to spread like wildfire," Siderov said.

When asked to explain why Sofia needed a second mosque, Hadji told reporters that the growing influx of Muslim Bulgarians into the city - in line with the general trend of increased worker migration to Sofia - had rendered the current mosque unfit for purpose. He refused to explain why, besides the additional mosque, an entire complex of buildings dedicated to Islam was needed. But he did reveal the number of mosques in Bulgaria, the first time such data had been released. According to the Chief Mufti's Office there were a total of 1457 Muslim places of worship in the country. Of these, 1217 were mosques. Most of these mosques are in areas traditionally populated by Muslim Bulgarians. Sofia, he added, had never been one of those places. This may explain the reaction to the Chief Mufti's plan in the first place.

Party leader Volen Siderov has already protested several times about noise levels emanating from Sofia mosque services and demanded that the speakers be turned down. Now he wants a ban on all future construction of Islamic places of worship.