Grand Prix for Mosques

Le Mans, known world-wide for the auto race that culminates in the Grand Prix, may soon become known as the city of mosques. According to a Muslim website called Trouve ta Mosquée ("find your mosque") there will soon be a fifth mosque for the roughly 33,000 Muslim residents of the city:

There are four mosques in Le Mans, but already they are insufficient for the faithful of this city. On September 16, the new association Lumières d'Islam ("lights of Islam") grouping Muslims of all origins (Maghrebin, Turk, sub-Saharan African, converts…) presented a plan for the creation of a Muslim cultural and religious center.

It's purpose is to bring together several activities:

- A 1000 m2 religious center for men and women

- An educational and cultural center (5 modular classrooms, leisure activities…)

- Shops

It will be an particularly modern building, functional and totally ecological (passive construction), linked by a trolley line.

Note: "passive" here refers to the fact that there is no heating system in the usual sense. Solar heat is retained through special types of windows.

Other novelties of the center include a child-care system that will allow the greatest number of parents to attend prayers on Fridays, Holidays, and during Ramadan.

This Muslim center will also be open to all via open doors, public activities and art expositions…

The Muslim community of Le Mans represents about 11% of the city's population of about 300,000. Figures that demonstrate indisputably the necessity of a new mosque in Le Mans.

During our Ramadan Road Trip, we stopped in this city where we met members of the association. We learned in this way about the group's motivation and their wish to fulfill the needs of the Muslims.

(We) will certainly follow closely this original project.

One reader agrees saying that he lives near Le Mans and every Friday there is no more room. He closes with "amine inchallah" ("Amen. God willing").

Top: the projected mosque in tones of violet.