• The association of Muslims of northern Bordeaux (AMBN), which manages the Grand Parc mosque, wants to install removable tarpaulins in the inner courtyard to shelter the faithful (who do not all fit inside) from bad weather.

  • The city considers that it is a public space “which is not intended to serve as a regular and established place of prayer” and does not want to issue authorization.

  • The association is concerned about its ability to welcome the faithful during the month of Ramadan during which nocturnal prayers attract 500 to 600 people each evening.

The association of Muslims of northern Bordeaux (AMBN) thought that it would be a simple administrative formality.

To shelter the faithful, who are too many on Fridays, from bad weather, this summer she sent a request for authorization to the building department of the metropolis to install removable tarpaulins.

It is

ultimately

a file that arrived in the offices of the city of Bordeaux, which is firmly opposed to this development.

Courtyard or public space?

“It is public space which is not intended to serve as a regular and established place of prayer, explains Laurent Guillemin, deputy mayor in charge of relations with religions.

If the place of worship is not able to receive everyone, it does like all the other places of worship, it organizes several services.

The premises of the mosque are located on the ground floor of the former Lycée Condorcet and several associations are installed on the first floor of the building.

"The inner courtyard is completely closed and from the neighboring school you can't see anything", argues Djamel Ouazzani, the president of the AMBN.

If the mosque he directs has been so popular since its establishment in 2015, it is because it is the only one for several districts of Bordeaux (Le Grand Parc, Bacalan and Les Aubiers) but also two cities of the Metropolis (Le Bouscat and Bruges).

As an establishment open to the public, the indoor premises can only accommodate a maximum of 300 people.

"However, on average, I reach 1,500 people on Fridays and in Islam, we do five prayers a day, each of which lasts about 45 minutes," explains Djamel Ouazzani.

For him, it is impossible, on Fridays, to cope with this crowd without resorting to the outside space and when the weather conditions are difficult, the "dignity" of people is at stake, he underlines.

Concern around Ramadan

Ramadan, a period during which Muslims fast from sunrise to sunset, will begin this year on March 22, 2023. During the Juppé years, the president of the AMBN explains that the nearby gymnasium was made available in the evening for night prayers. .

"Sports teams train so I don't even dare to make a request to that effect to the town hall this year," says Djamel Ouazzani.

I expect at least 500 to 600 people every evening for about 1h30, between 8:30 and 10 p.m.

Under these conditions, he would have liked to rely on the installation of removable exterior tarpaulins.

“They responded to their attendance problem with an outdoor extension, which is not the right answer,” insists the worship assistant.

For its part, the AMBN does not understand why it is being put in the way, arguing that there has never been any problem with the residents of this mosque.

“And in the law of 1905 (of separation of the Church and the State) which I know well, advances Djamel Ouazzani, even if one considers that it is a prayer in the street, it is not prohibited if it does not hinder the steps of other people.

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  • Mosque

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  • Islam

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