Built in 1922-1926, the Grand Mosque was the first mosque in France’s metropolitan area. Its 33-meter (108-ft) tall minaret stands as a pillar of community in the historical 5th arrondissement of Paris.
During the German occupation (1940-44), the Mosque became a shelter for Jewish families and children, as well as resistance fighters.
Starting in the 1980s, the Mosque addressed the need for more places of worship and burial space to better serve France’s growing Muslim populations. This also involved the creation of the Al-Ghazali Institute in 1993 for imam training and a halal certification service in 1994.
Today the Grand Mosque’s full complex in Paris includes a prayer hall, garden, hammam (for women), restaurant, and tea room, while its Al-Ghazali Institute has locations in Martigues and Marseille.
Sources:
https://www.la-mosquee.com/
https://www.mosqueedeparis.net/
Photo credit:
Zairon, shared under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license.
♦ Connected Reading ♦
The Grand Mosque of Paris: A Story of How Muslims Rescued Jews During the Holocaust
by Karen Gray Ruelle & Deborah Durland Desaix
An Imam In Paris: Al-Tahtawi’s Visit To France 1826-1831
by Rifa’a Rafi’ al-Tahtawi,
Translated & Introduced by Daniel L. Newman
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