Great Mosque Of Toulouse
The mosque is located in the Empalot neighbourhood in the south of the city and has a capacity of 3,000. The funds for the €6 million project came mainly from a 13-year campaign by the nearby Al-Nour Mosque, itself established in 1989. Additions came from the French state, Algeria (€213,000) and Kuwait (€131,000). The imam, Mohamed Tataï, turned down donations from Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi in 2006 and 2007.
The building has three prayer halls, one of which is reserved for women, and a Quranic school. It is decorated with Tunisian marble, rugs and doors from Turkey, Egyptian chandeliers and Moroccan stucco. On the exterior, there is a gilded dome and a minaret. The architect was Christian Barthe.
In April 2022, the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Toulouse, Mohamed Tataïat, was expelled to Algeria after being sentenced to four months of suspended imprisonment for inciting hate against Jews in a 2017 sermon. The court justified the decision stating Tataïat's comments constituted a deliberate provocation to discrimination, hatred, and violence against Jews and had conspicuous resonance and intensity following Hamas' October 7 attacks against Israel.
References
- ^ Albinet, Vincent (22 June 2018). "La Grande Mosquée de Toulouse ouvre ses portes" [The Great Mosque of Toulouse opens its doors] (in French). France 3. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "La grande mosquée d'Empalot qui a coûté 6 millions d'euros inaugurée le 23 juin" [The Great Mosque of Empalot which cost 6 million euros will be inaugurated on 23 June]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 10 June 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ Martin, Marie (23 June 2018). "Toulouse : la mosquée d'Empalot inaugurée" [Toulouse: Empalot mosque inaugurated] (in French). France 3. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ "Découvrez en images la Grand Mosquée de Toulouse, inaugurée ce samedi" [Discover in images the Great Mosque of Toulouse, inaugurated this Saturday]. La Dépêche du Midi (in French). 23 June 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2022.
- ^ France, Centre (2024-05-07). "Islam - L'imam de la Grande mosquée de Toulouse fait appel contre son expulsion après des propos haineux contre les juifs". www.lamontagne.fr. Retrieved 2024-05-08.
