On the occasion of the Eid-el-Kébir prayer on July 9 at dawn, several thousand worshipers gathered in one of the six mosques of Tarn-et-Garonne. In Montauban, they were more than 2,300 gathered in the village hall of the station market, for lack of sufficient places at the current mosque on Avenue Chamier and awaiting the completion of the new building on Avenue Matras. This Muslim religious festival, which is punctuated by the ritual sacrifice of a lamb, was marked by the refusal of the private slaughterhouse in Montauban to open this weekend. The community finally opted for a more expensive solution by transporting a truck of about sixty animals to the slaughterhouse of Saint-Céré in the neighboring Lot.
On the occasion of Eid-el-Kébir – one of the two most important Muslim religious holidays – thousands of worshipers gathered very early on July 9 in one of the six mosques in the Tarn-et- Garonne.
In Montauban, where more than 2,300 men and women gathered for prayer at 8 a.m. sharp, the Muslim association Es Salem has once again chosen to move this large gathering to the village hall of the station market. “As during the Eid-el-Fitr celebration (end of Ramadan), in order to avoid praying on the sidewalks of Avenue Chamier (where the current mosque is located), we chose this room to bring us together”, confirms Mohamed Hajji, the president of the Muslim association of Montauban.
The chnatier of the new mosque chemin de Matras in Montauban had been stopped since last December
–
Once the prayer and the imam’s sermon were over, each family continued the festivities with their loved ones by offering, as tradition dictates, gifts to the children, and around a large meal organized around the ritual sacrifice of the lamb. , in remembrance of that made by the prophet Abraham.
“We were forced to perform the ritual slaughter 120 km from here, despite our efforts”
However, this aspect of the demonstration was not easy this year for the Muslims of the department, the private slaughterhouse of Montauban having refused to take charge of this slaughter this weekend.
“Despite all the preparatory meetings to organize the slaughter as every year in consultation with the prefectural services and the departmental veterinary services, the Montauban slaughterhouse refused to open this Saturday (July 9) or Sunday (July 10)”, very bitterly regrets Mohamed Hajji, of whom we know both the measure and the respect in his remarks.
The chnatier of the new mosque chemin de Matras in Montauban had been stopped since last December
–
The management of the slaughterhouse, according to him, would not have succeeded “even with bonuses offered to employees” to carry out this slaughter this weekend. “They offered to come on Monday, July 11, two days after Eid at 4 a.m.!” deplores President Hajji.
The Muslim association however managed to find another solution, more complicated and more expensive, by sending the animals to be sacrificed to the slaughterhouse of Saint-Céré, in the neighboring department of Lot. “We were forced to do the ritual slaughter 120 km from here, despite our best efforts to find a local consensus.”
This Saturday morning, “we chartered a truck for around sixty sheep which will return in a refrigerated vehicle at the end of the day”, confirms Mohamed Hajji expressly wishing to “thank the management of the Saint-Céré slaughterhouse and his team” d to have agreed to work this Saturday so that each family can have their sheep for the party.
The construction site of the Chemin de Matras mosque relaunched
This celebration was also an opportunity to question the leaders of the Muslim association on the progress of the work of the future mosque located on Chemin de Matras, which has been shut down for several months. “After 8 months of stoppage due to both a problem of change of direction at the head of the Montalbanaise company which made the framework for us, and of coordination with that dealing with the glassworks, the site resumed. “, guarantees President Hajji announcing the symbolic installation of the highest point of the mosque this July 12, a glass dome of 25 m2.
The construction site of the new mosque chemin de Matras in Montauban had been stopped since last December
–
From the start of the school year, carpentry and finishing work will follow, which should extend until the next Ramadan, in April 2023. “We still have 500,000 euros left to collect to then build the car park and the surroundings of the mosque”, indicates the president intending to make up for the delay in the search for funding due to health restrictions linked to Covid-19 for a year and a half.
“Our chaplain (Abessadour Masbahi) with his team will take up his pilgrim’s staff to crisscross the largest mosques in France in order to organize donation collections”, assures Mohamed Hajji, counting on the traditional generosity of the Muslim community in France. “We have already managed to raise 1.3 million euros just in Montauban and its surroundings, we will be able to find the money we need”.
As for the opening of the mosque, restraint is in order. “Without having yet finalized the budget, giving an opening date remains very premature at this stage”, admits with caution from Sioux Mohamed Hajji, not even mentioning the end of the year 2023.
When the work is finished, it will also be necessary to obtain authorization to open to the public after the passage of the safety commission. This is not an easy task and can delay the opening of the religious building for several more months.
–
