The Great Mosque of Toulouse () is a mosque in the city of Toulouse, France It opened in 2018. The mosque is located in the Empalot neighbourhood in the south of the city and has a capacity of 3,000 worshipers.
Overview
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.
Controversy In April 2022, Mohamed Tataïat, the mosque's imam, 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.
See also
Islam in France List of mosques in France
References