The En Nour mosque officially welcomed its first worshippers this Saturday in Nice.
The mosque – which will be able to accommodate up to 880 worshippers – received the authorization to open on Saturday morning, signed by the Prefect, who replaced the city’s mayor, following a court decision.
“This is a joy that is not feigned, but neither is it a complacent triumphalism,” said Ouassini Mebarek, lawyer and president of the religious association. “It is the recognition of the law, and of a right, that of freely practicing one’s religion in France while respecting the values of the Republic.”
The construction project of this mosque began in 2003.
David Nakache, president of the association Tous Citoyen, commented:
“We often talk about Islamophobia and, although the term has long been contested, the reality it describes cannot be doubted.
Yes, there was indeed a ‘serious and manifestly illegal infringement on the freedom of worship’ in Nice, the 5th largest city in France, towards Muslim citizens, as recognized publicly by the Council of State.
It is with particular joy that I participated yesterday in the inauguration of the Institute, for this beautiful moment of sharing and friendship, but also for the triumph of law and republican equality in the face of Islamophobia in Nice.”
