LONDON — Every Friday, Abdul Khaliq heads down a deserted lane with hundreds of other Islamic men to pray at a temporary shelter on a windswept wasteland in East London. He’s waiting for the shacks to be replaced by Europe’s biggest mosque.

“We are going to produce a landmark, something not seen in this country before,” said Mr. Khaliq, project manager for the global Islamic missionary movement Tablighi Jamaat, which plans to spend at least $190 million to build the mosque. Mr. Khaliq and his friends call it the London Markaz; neighbors in the borough of Newham dub it the “Mega Mosque.”

The proposed mosque is the latest flashpoint in London’s struggle to integrate a growing Islamic population amid fears among non-Muslims of Islamic terrorists. The structure would stand next to the 2012 Olympic stadium and, with room for 60,000 worshippers, be almost as big. Opponents say it would create a ghetto of Muslims in the surrounding neighborhood and change the complexion of London.

“I absolutely defend the right to worship, but this is going to be huge,” said Alan Craig, a representative of the Christian Peoples Alliance on Newham Council. “When billions of television viewers see aerial shots of the London Olympics, they won’t see St. Paul’s Cathedral or any other traditional British landmark, they will see a mosque.”

Mr. Craig said Britain should investigate alleged links between Tablighi Jamaat and terrorists. A 2005 American intelligence report released during hearings for prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, said Tablighi Jamaat was becoming “increasingly radicalized” and was used as a cover byAl Qaeda members.

Mr. Khaliq said he isn’t aware of any radicals within Tablighi Jamaat. The mosque will be funded by donations, and the group doesn’t accept contributions from extremist organizations, he said.

“These are the most peaceful people you can find, spreading the good word and telling people to behave with their parents and teachers, to refrain from smoking and drinking and drugs, and to live a good life,” said Mr. Khaliq, who joined the group more than 50 years ago.

Newham is one of the most ethnically and religiously diverse areas of Britain, with more than 100 languages spoken. In the 2001 census, 46% of residents said they were Christian and 24% Muslim. Of the 250,000 residents, 39% were white, 32% Asian, and 22% black.

“If this mega mosque goes ahead, we will end up with a Muslim quarter of London, with Tablighi Jamaat, an ultraconservative movement, at its heart,” said Patrick Sookhdeo, a director of Barnabas Fund, which finances Christian projects. “There will effectively be a parallel society in London.”

Tablighi Jamaat has owned the proposed mosque site for 10 years. The public will be asked to comment after an official request for planning permission has been filed, said Michelle Hyland, a spokeswoman for Newham Council.

The London Thames Gateway Development Corp., a government agency responsible for regenerating the area, will decide whether to permit the mosque. The application may eventually end up with Ruth Kelly, Prime Minister Blair’s communities minister.