Mosque of Marseille: presentation of the project

MARSEILLE - The project of the Grand Mosque which will be built in Marseille (south-east) by 2011 was presented Thursday to several countries to finance the project, said a journalist from AFP.

•     To gather the 22 million euro budget for the completion of the mosque that should be built on the former site of slaughterhouses in the 15th arrondissement of Marseille (north), the Association of the Great Mosque of Marseilles, who led the project, is actually seeking Muslim countries.
  
      Thursday, general consuls of Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Senegal, Mauritania, Comoros and Turkey were present at the presentation of the architectural project.
  
      Saudi Arabia should also be represented but was ultimately not in the meeting, due to a calendar problem, according to a member of the association.
  
      “We already have a funding commitment on the part of Algeria, Morocco and the Comoros, said Makhete Cisse, vice president of the association, without specifying the amounts pledged by those countries.
  
      According to Abou Diarra, treasurer of the association, Algeria has already paid about 170,000 Euros to the association to operate.
  
      The share of each country will not exceed the “20 to 25% of the overall project budget,” said Cissé.
  
      Two calls for subscription to the Muslim community and wider population of Marseille will also be launched, probably from September,” said Diarra.
  
      The association filed its application for building permit on May 15 and hopes to get it “not later than October,” according to the same source.
  
      
  Ennaharonline/ M. O.