The capital’s officials, however, say that more than enough land has been given over for the purpose of building places of worship.

The lack of mosques has even resulted in Muslims worshipping in Orthodox churches. Islamic leaders are strictly opposed to the initiative, saying that this only triggers hostility between the communities.

At the same time, building new mosques does not help establish better relations between the churches either.

Recently, around 2,000 signatures were collected by residents in the city’s south who did not want a mosque in their area. Instead, they say, the place could be turned into the park.

Orthodox Christian groups added fuel to the fire, saying that they also wanted to use the site for a church but could not get zoning permission, and questioning how their Muslim colleagues were able to get one.

“Many perceive mosques as a threat,” Akhmed Azimov, from the Russia’s Congress of the Caucasus People, told RT. “However, building more will only help solve the problem. New mosques will reduce overcrowding. At the moment, many Muslims have to pray outside, on the streets near the mosque, because not everyone can fit inside. The real threat is that citizens' fears may be used and abused by the ultranationalist groups that unfortunately exist in the city.”

The Islamic world has long been part of Russian life. Muslims make up a large part of the Russian population – there are 20 million in the country. This makes Islam the second largest religion in Russia, after Orthodox Christianity.

Moscow is not the only capital facing this problem. Just recently, New York made headlines around the world in connection with the building of an Islamic center near Ground Zero.