Paris Mosque Rector Rejects Moroccan Claims to Control Institution

"Moroccan media have tried to invent a ’Moroccan history’ to the GMP and some demand that its management be entrusted to the kingdom," said Chems-Eddine Hafiz in an interview with TSA. Is there an issue for the control of Islam in France? To this question, the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris responds in these terms: "There is above all unnecessary agitation, while many challenges await to be taken up. The Muslim worship in France belongs to all Muslims living on the territory, regardless of their origins."

During the interview, the rector briefly recounted the genesis of the Great Mosque of Paris. "The roots of the Great Mosque of Paris lie in the blood shed by Muslim soldiers from all over the Maghreb, from all of sub-Saharan Africa, and from even further afield, to reconquer the freedom of France in 1914-1918. Faithful to this symbol, it works for the good of every Muslim in the country and to promote his citizenship," he explained. For him, "attempts to rewrite or claim its history are therefore unwelcome and only serve to exacerbate divisions".