Strasbourg Mosque a Lightning Rod for Broader French-Turkish Tensions

PARIS - The cement skeleton of the unfinished Eyyub Sultan mosque in France's eastern city of Strasbourg has become a repository for myriad grievances, ranging from local partisan wrangling to longstanding friction between Islam and this country's staunchly secular creed.

The grievances also reflect mounting fears within the European Union about Turkey's growing international influence. Claiming concern over foreign — and specifically Turkish — meddling, a top French official launched legal proceedings this week against a decision by Strasbourg's leftist government to subsidize the construction of the mosque, designed to be Europe's largest.