Montauban Mosque Seeks Donations for Parking Lot as Construction Nears Completion

400,000 euros. This is the funding that the Es Salem association needs for the construction of a 245-space parking lot at the new mosque in Montauban. "Everything is financed by donations from the faithful, there is not a single penny coming from abroad," certifies Mohamed Hadji, president of the Muslim association Es-Salem, to La Dépêche. We have managed to finance the construction and development of the mosque, all the companies have been paid, but we do not yet have the money for the parking lot. To ensure the drainage of water, lighting and paving 8,000 m2, we need 400,000 euros."

Faced with the impossibility of obtaining a bank loan for religious reasons, Mohamed Hadji is traveling across France, looking for a hypothetical zero-interest loan. "If we find the money, we will be able to develop the parking lot in the summer of 2025, but I don’t think I will be able to open it definitively before 2026," tempers the president of the association.

Once completed, the Montauban mosque will be able to accommodate about 1,500 people from Montauban and the surrounding area. "This is not a departmental mosque, there are six others in the department. We should not have a problem for the Friday prayer, but it may be more complicated for the two Muslim holidays that can attract more than 2,000 people. We will adapt..."

This place of worship includes a large prayer hall on the ground floor and sanitary facilities, a room for women, offices, a meeting room, sanitary facilities and a kitchen, as well as four wooden doors of beautiful craftsmanship from Meknes (Morocco). Moroccan craftsmen will come specially to Montauban to ensure the decoration.