Hundreds of mosques across France are participating in a major open-house event this weekend, offering visitors the opportunity to come in for tea and a chat about Islam in a country shaken by jihadist attacks.
Dubbed “a brotherly cup of tea”, the weekend initiative took different forms with local mosques handing out hot drinks and pastries, offering guided visits, putting on debates and calligraphy workshops, and even inviting people to attend one of the five daily prayers.
Organised by the country’s leading Muslim body, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), it aims to stimulate dialogue about Islam and create a greater sense of “national cohesion”, a year after 17 people were killed in jihadist attacks in Paris targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.
“The objective is to create a space where people can be together and meet normal Muslim worshippers and all of our fellow citizens,” CFCM president Anouar Kbibech told AFP.
The idea is to use the anniversary of the January 7-9 attacks to “highlight the real values of Islam, to set straight the cliches about links to violence and terrorism,” he said, describing the venture as a “gesture of openness”.
“Instead of dwelling on these tragic acts, it seemed more useful and important to celebrate ‘the spirit of January 11',” he said, referring to the date last year when millions of people took to the streets in a mass show of solidarity.
Dubbed “a brotherly cup of tea”, the weekend initiative took different forms with local mosques handing out hot drinks and pastries, offering guided visits, putting on debates and calligraphy workshops, and even inviting people to attend one of the five daily prayers.
Organised by the country’s leading Muslim body, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), it aims to stimulate dialogue about Islam and create a greater sense of “national cohesion”, a year after 17 people were killed in jihadist attacks in Paris targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket.
“The objective is to create a space where people can be together and meet normal Muslim worshippers and all of our fellow citizens,” CFCM president Anouar Kbibech told AFP.
The idea is to use the anniversary of the January 7-9 attacks to “highlight the real values of Islam, to set straight the cliches about links to violence and terrorism,” he said, describing the venture as a “gesture of openness”.
“Instead of dwelling on these tragic acts, it seemed more useful and important to celebrate ‘the spirit of January 11',” he said, referring to the date last year when millions of people took to the streets in a mass show of solidarity.