The Grand Mosque of Paris, built in 1926 in the Latin Quarter as a tribute to Muslim soldiers who died for France during World War I, marks its 100th anniversary this year. French historian Benjamin Stora traces its little-known role as a geopolitical bridge – not only between France and Algeria, but also between Muslims and Jews.
Tucked away in the heart of the Latin Quarter neighbourhood, the Grand Mosque of Paris is one of the city’s essential landmarks. Inaugurated on July 15, 1926 by former French president Gaston Doumergue and Moulay Youssef, Morocco’s sultan at the time, the mosque was built as a tribute to the more than 100,000 Muslim soldiers who fought and died for France during World War I.
