The Muslims of France are preparing to renovate Notre Dame Cathedral

Hisham Abu Mariam - Paris

The Muslims of France registered a civilized stance by inviting them to donate to rebuild the cathedral of Notre Dame, which was devastated by the fire. President Emmanuel Macaron paid tribute to the fundraising campaign which has raised $ 1 billion so far.

The French Council of the Islamic Faith expressed deep sorrow for the painful incident. He called on Muslims "as part of the French nation" to contribute materially to the reconstruction of the cathedral as a symbol of Christianity and a unique architectural monument.

In the same vein, "the Muslims of France", one of the largest French Islamic organizations, expressed its "fraternal solidarity with Catholics in France and in the world in front of this tragic casualty and tragic event."

He urged the gathering "to participate in the national effort of all the French, by donating money and providing all kinds of support to rebuild Notre Dame again."

The "Union of the Mosques of France" was not immune from these solidarity positions, expressing "its deep sorrow for the tragic incident" and called upon the Muslims of France to pray to God in their prayers in order to save the cathedral.

He also urged Muslims to "take advantage of the holy month of Ramadan, which is coming to the door to provide material and moral assistance to their Catholic brothers to rebuild the cathedral."

French alert
In a brief address to the nation, President MacRoon said Tuesday that he shared the French "for their grief and sorrow" over what had happened to the cathedral and pledged to rebuild the historic and religious landmark in "just five years."

Macaron praised the fund-raising campaign initiated by a number of the country's top French people, who joined the public, to rebuild the cathedral.

The donations have reached about $ 1 billion (€ 750 million) in less than 24 hours, with two families alone contributing three hundred million euros. A number of companies joined the campaign and Total Oil announced a donation of 100 million euros.

The great cathedral of Europe, which had been destroyed by war or fire, such as the Vienna Cathedral destroyed during the Second World War, had to be restored, according to Stephane Berne, a senior French historian who confirmed that the reconstruction would take forty to fifty years because of the destruction of the cathedral. About half a century.

The French are still shocked and stunned by the devastation of Paris' famous Notre Dame Cathedral and its tower and roof. It was not extinguished until yesterday morning after more than 500 firefighters were recruited.

In spite of the cold and the rain, hundreds of Parisians and tourists flooded the cathedral site on Tuesday and saw the effects of the fire from a distance after the authorities closed roads leading to it.

The identity of France
French journalist Judith Blanc says that although she is not religious, the cathedral represents the history and identity of France and is a sacred symbol for all French, whether religious or not.

Retired Nicole Minar, who lives in the cathedral district, was unable to hold back her tears as she saw the fire engulfing a cathedral that had been barren for nine centuries by all the horrors of nature and war.

Australian tourist Steve Bro described the incident as a disaster, telling Al Jazeera.net that he visited the cathedral only three days ago. Steve considered that any foreign tourist coming must visit the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Cathedral.

UNESCO has listed Paris Cathedral in 1991 on the World Heritage List and is one of the most important tourist attractions in France, where the cathedral receives 14 million foreign tourists annually.