Saint-Denis Great Mosque Set to Open for Ramadan After Years of Delays

On May 3, just a few days before Ramadan, Muslims at 115 rue Henri Barbusse in Saint-Denis, France will be able to set foot in the Great Mosque of Seine-Saint-Denis. Good news no doubt for the entire Muslim community in the entire region, especially at a time when the stigmatization of Islam is strongly decried around the world.

The opening of the Great Mosque of Saint Denis after 9 years of work to better meet safety standards is all the more good news for Muslims because, informs Le Muslim Post, "in Saint-Denis two places of worship received formal notices from the prefecture in early April, for non-compliance with safety standards," while Ramadan is approaching.

The treasurer of the association Ahmed Jamaleddine could not hide his joy at the announcement of the opening of the mosque in Saint Denis. "This opening, all the faithful were impatiently awaiting it. We are very happy, very proud. We finally have a decent place of worship in Saint-Denis. Everyone is relieved, especially after the various problems in the mosques," he told the Journal de Saint-Denis (JSD).

Started in 2010, the work on the Great Mosque of Saint Denis, which was mainly supported by the donations of the faithful, will have cost nearly 7 million euros with the purchase of the land, according to the association. Scheduled to be inaugurated in June, this mosque has a capacity to accommodate at least 2,500 worshippers.