Toulouse: “Street prayers are very marginal”, assures the spokesperson for the Muslim faith
Abdellatif Mellouki, vice-president of the regional council for Muslim worship, gives an update on the number of mosques in the department. Interview.
Are there enough mosques in Haute-Garonne?
In terms of capacity, no. There are places of worship but the vast majority of them are cramped. However, the situation has changed over the past few years. There are currently new construction projects. In Blagnac, in Granada, in the district of Bagatelle, or even in Cugnaux, new mosques will be built.
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Do you know how many Muslims are present in the department?
We don’t have a precise number. I estimate that there are 150,000 Muslims in Haute-Garonne. But among us, there is a majority of people who do not go to the mosque or who are not religious. About 20% of Muslims are practicing. Which used about 30,000 worshipers would attend mosques. To be able to accommodate them properly in the mosques, there would have to be 15,000 square meters of mosque. Currently, this is not the case.
Some politicians have long pointed the finger at street prayers. Do they still exist?
In a few places this is still the case. But it is very marginal. People pray next to their place of worship for lack of space. This situation can occur on Fridays, during holidays or Ramadan, when attendance is high. In any case, street prayers are not what we could see before. This phenomenon is doomed to disappear.
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Is distrust vis-à-vis Islam strong?
People of Muslim faiths are places to work and return. Some of them stayed. We are in the 4th generation. Islam is no longer the religion of foreigners. It is that of French. I think it bothers people who use religion to divide the French. Muslims practice calmly and pose no problem. Only an ultra-minority is problematic.