The Muslims of Nice do not have a mosque worthy of the name, and the opening of the En-nour Institute is blocked under false pretexts. Paradoxically, it is by stopping the obstruction of Islam that we will best combat Islamism. Obstruction to freedom of worship, just as obstruction to freedom of opinion or expression, is intolerable in Nice, as it is elsewhere.
According to the first article of our constitution, France is a secular Republic and respects all beliefs. Secularism guarantees everyone the freedom to believe or not to believe and to practice a religion in compliance with the law and public order.
Our fellow Muslim citizens must have the same rights and should not see their freedom of worship hindered.
Yet this is the case in Nice, the 5th largest city in France, where projects to open mosques are recurrently blocked under false pretexts.
This happened when the former mayor of the city, Jacques Peyrat, preempted a site intended for worship to turn it into… a waste storage area. It happened again in June 2012, when the current mayor, Christian Estrosi, preempted a site also dedicated to Muslim worship to turn it into… a police station.
It is currently the case with the Nice-based En-nour Institute. The mayor of Nice has initiated a Public Utility Declaration to turn this place into… a daycare! Yes, there is a shortage of daycares in Nice, and the mayor is not without responsibility in this regard. Yes, they are needed in this area, but other spaces are available nearby, such as those previously occupied by the academic inspection or 800m2 of empty premises, also just opposite the Institute.
Christian Estrosi also mentioned the origin of the funds allowing the project’s financing. Yes, the source of funds must be verified before opening a place of worship. But this is the role of the State and is not the prerogative of the mayor.
In reality, nothing justifies the systematic obstruction of the creation of Muslim places of worship in Nice.
We are all concerned about the rise of religious fundamentalism. But by refusing a legitimate place and recognition to our Muslim fellow citizens, we are fueling radicalization. And this recognition involves having decent and dignified places of worship.
We must stop allowing latent Islamophobia to progress, which fuels feelings of rejection and discrimination. We must stop providing arguments to those who try to turn our youth against our country, using the degrading conditions of worship practice to convince them that France does not respect or include them.
The so-called ‘underground Islam’ not only allows the proliferation of uncontrollable pseudo-imams but also fuels suspicion and concern. A visible mosque, with public frontage, open to non-Muslims and dialogue, is a much better antidote than contempt and rejection.
Paradoxically, it is by stopping the obstruction of Islam that we will best combat Islamism.
Obstruction to freedom of worship, just as obstruction to freedom of opinion or expression, is intolerable in Nice, as it is everywhere else.
by David Nakache
