Controversy Erupts Over Moroccan Takeover of Unfinished French Mosque

The deal consists of a transfer of ownership in exchange for which Morocco through its Ministry of Habous and Islamic Affairs would finance the completion of the chaotic Islamic center started in 2011, according to Le Parisien. This is the solution recommended by the Puteaux Islamic Solidarity Association (Asip) which manages the place of worship, and some of whose leaders are mainly of Moroccan origin. For months, the construction of this 5-story building has been progressing slowly.

"There is indeed, in Puteaux, a project with Morocco, confirms a connoisseur of Islam in France. But the subject is sensitive. It is causing a lot of turmoil among the worshippers. And on their side, the mosque leaders fear that the project will be challenged by the municipality as in Angers or Montpellier." Many Puteaux worshippers who have contributed tens of thousands of euros to the construction of the building take a dim view of this operation. Those who have been exiled since 2011 under a marquee installed at the foot of the towers of La Défense deplore "the lack of consultation" regarding the project.

"The Muslim community of Puteaux, it’s more than a dozen different nationalities," argues one of them. "This mosque, it belongs to all of us. All the worshippers have financed the work at one time or another and therefore it is out of the question to sell it to Morocco." "It’s nothing more than interference," rages another. "We cannot let this sale go through..." The opposition councilor (Génération. S) of Puteaux, Francis Poézévara, also opposes this operation. "This transfer, if it succeeds, poses a problem of secularism," he believes. "In France, political power and religious power are separate. We cannot therefore accept this mixing of genres on the territory of our commune."