Metz Mosque: King Mohammed VI’s donation confirmed and regulated

“It is in no way state funding, but rather a private donation from King Mohammed VI,” Mohamed Hicham Joudat told France bleu, stressing that the Moroccan sovereign responded to a public appeal and that his contribution falls within a legal framework rigorously defined by the French Interior Ministry. These clarifications come after the Union of Secular Families of Moselle (UFAL 57) took legal action to demand greater clarity regarding the origin of the funds. The organization had denounced “interference.” But the court rejected its appeal. In addition, UFAL57 was ordered to pay 2,000 euros to the association of the Grand Mosque of Metz (GMM).

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UFAL 57 had also denounced the conditions under which the city of Metz allocated public funds to the project in the summer of 2023. “The Grand Mosque knew that it had received this money when the municipal council deliberated on this 490,000-euro subsidy and did not inform them of it,” had denounced Matthieu Gatipon Bachette, president of UFAL 57. Opposition to this public funding is explained by the fact that Islam is not among the religions recognized under the Alsace-Moselle concordat, even though this same legal regime, as Mayor François Grosdidier recalled, previously made it possible to finance the renovation of churches in Metz, such as Sainte-Thérèse and Sainte-Bernadette.

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Currently, the association of the Grand Mosque of Metz (GMM) continues to seek other financial support abroad, without disclosing the identities of potential donors. For Joudat, this place of worship currently under construction is of vital importance to Muslim worshippers and his association. “Many worshippers pray in precarious conditions, sometimes even in the street. During major religious holidays, we have to rent the Metz exhibition center, which represents an exorbitant cost of 15,000 euros per day,” he explained.