Rabat - Cologne Cathedral, one of Germany's most famous landmarks, is said to have decided to plunge into total darkness next Monday evening to protest the growing anti-Muslim sentiment through the Western German city, according to Reuters.
The rise of a group called Patriotic Europeans Against the Islamisation of the West (PEGIDA) has prompted Chancellor Angela Merkel to describe the group leaders in her New Year address as "racists full of hatred".
PEGIDA's rally in the eastern German city of Dresden attracted an estimated 17,000 people. The group also plans further marches in other German cities, including Cologne on Monday night with a rally by the cathedral.
"PEGIDA is made up of an astonishingly broad mix of people, ranging from those in the middle of society to racists and the extreme right-wing," Cathedral Dean Norbert Feldhoff was quoted as saying by Reuters.
"By switching off the floodlighting we want to make those on the march stop and think. It is a challenge: consider who you are marching alongside," he added.
Dresden's famous Semperoper opera house also extinguished its lights in protest during the last PEGIDA march in the city.
An opinion poll on Thursday found one German in eight would join an anti-Muslim march if PEGIDA organized one in their home town.