The Abdullah Al-Darwish Cultural Center and AL Salam mosque were inaugurated in the city of Nantes (Western France) in the presence of award-winning business leader Abdullah Al-Darwish, local authorities represented by the Governor of the Country of the Loire, Christian Galiar Dolavini, and the city’s Mayor Patrick Ramber, Senators Michel Monnier and Claire Jou, as well as several representatives of Nantes’ Muslim Community.
The occasion marked the outcome of the generous $10 million donation by Bader Abdullah Al-Darwish whose contribution was crucial in accomplishing the worthy project.
In his speech, the mayor expressed delight and pride in inaugurating the mosque, praising the efforts of the Muslim community in the city of Nantes, the overwhelming generosity of Abdullah Al-Darwish and the professionals who supervised the project and overcame the administrative and financing obstacles which delayed implementation.
Designed by well-known architect Elias Al-Aaedi, Assalam mosque was built on land offered by the city’s municipality, when the current Prime Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault was mayor of Nantes for several years until his ministerial appointment.
The magnificent mosque can accommodate approximately 6000 people, and its dome rises to a height of 14 meters, while the minaret’s height is 17 meters, and is adorned with a silver crescent at its top.
The mosque and cultural center projects commenced some 10 years ago but insufficient funds prevented their completion, with French law restricting the provision of finance for constructing places of worship given its secular outlook.
However, Bader Abdulla Al-Darwish’s stepped in with a crucial financial contribution to help accelerate the project’s completion. The project provides a prestigious place of worship for the Muslim community in Nantes city and western region, in addition to the other eight large mosques in the city and its neighborhood.
Built on a land of more than 3,000 square meters, the design includes two parallel buildings separated by a yard that is 20 meters wide and combining water and greenery surrounded by land, with rich Teak wood parquet, enabling visitors to effortlessly move between the mosque and cultural center. The interior design is characterized by many decorative and artistic highlights in addition to fascinating Moroccan patterns.
Supervised by the Islamic Association of Western France (AIOF), the inauguration of the Assalam mosque is in line with similar initiatives to resolve the lack of places of worship – forcing many Muslims in the country to pray in makeshift premises to fulfil religious duties.
The new Abdullah Al-Darwish Cultural Center in Nantes will be open for all visitors, representing a true spectacular gathering point for worshiping as well as cultural, school and social works.
The city’s governor Dolavini stressed that the new mosque and the cultural center are in line with the commitment of the authorities to integrate people in the French society, which in turn achieves harmony and provides room for peaceful co-existence. The governor also invited all Muslims to undertake their responsibilities, duties and commitment to Islam’s great values highlighted by tolerance and solidarity, among others.
Linked to the mosque and constructed on two floors, the center’s ground floor houses a public library and a social networking hall, as well as a number of small halls, classrooms, a lecture hall and a kitchen, while the first floor houses a school for vocational training for young people.
