Warsaw  - An art project that would transform a tall chimney into a minaret drew controversy in western Poland as critics said it mocked Catholics, a Polish daily reported Friday.

Architect Joanna Rajkowska was invited to design a project in Poznan, the daily Rzeczpospolita reported. But architects and Catholics alike criticized the design, which turned a chimney into a minaret in a symbol of diversity.

"The idea is absurd," a local government official told the daily. "It would be like building a belfry in Qatar with Muslim tax money."

Architects said the project could be seen as "mocking a religious symbol." Others said it was modeled on a mosque in the West Bank from which suicide bombings were launched into Israel.

Rajkowska said the project was not an attack on Catholics or Jews, while the West Bank city of Jenin also housed "victims of Israeli aggression."

However, the daily said the project may never be realised, because of the city's budget deficit.

The installation, valued at half a million zloty (160,000 dollars), was to be ready for next year's Malta International Theatre Festival.(dpa)