Six months after its administrative closure, the Pantin mosque reopened its doors to the faithful on Friday.
A new rector and a new imam have been appointed.
Believers want to turn the page as soon as possible, a few days before the start of Ramadan.
REPORTAGE
After six months without an audience, the Pantin mosque reopened its doors this Friday to the faithful.
At the time of the prayer, they were a hundred to spread their prayer rugs inside the mosque and almost as many outside, distancing obliges.
It had been six months since these believers had to go to the neighboring towns to pray.
For the regulars of the place of worship, it is an important step: "I could not hope for better at the beginning of the month of Ramadan. I am very happy", indicates a faithful at the microphone of Europe 1.
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A call to "respect the laws of the Republic"
If the mosque reopens its doors this Friday, it is thanks to the appointment of a new rector and a new imam.
Closed just a few days after the assassination of Samuel Paty, at the end of October 2020, the Minister of the Interior Gérald Darmanin had demanded that the former rector and the former imam leave the place of worship.
To start the sermon, the new imam, Idir Mazouzi, thanked Emmanuel Macron, Jean Castex as well as "all the people who participated in the reopening of the Great Mosque of Pantin".
In front of the crowd, the imam launched an appeal to all the faithful to "respect the laws of the Republic".
The new officials of the place hope thus to forget the bad image of the mosque and help believers to turn the page, just a few days before the start of Ramadan.