Two petitions against two mosque projects in one and the same city in Gironde

Residents of Ambarès-et-Lagrave (Gironde) were surprised to learn that two mosques were going to be built on the territory of their town. The lack of communication from the town hall on the projects and their opacity led to the creation of two protest petitions.

The battle of opinion began among opponents of the projects, after the announcement of two requests for building permits for mosques in Ambarès-et-Lagrave (Gironde). The Ibn Sina association has submitted a building permit on a site to the west of Ambarès-et-Lagrave, while the Muslim Center of Bordeaux is considering an establishment to the east.

The Ibn Sina association wishes to strengthen its religious and cultural activities in the town. She therefore wants the creation of a vast complex including a mosque, prayer spaces, a library and classrooms for children. However, due in particular to the lack of consultation with local residents, the project has encountered numerous criticisms.

The town hall of Ambarès-et-Lagrave, which ensured the religious and political independence of the association, was not able to provide the exact outlines of the project, accentuating the distrust of local residents. Some accuse the town hall of lacking transparency by speaking of “concealment” about the nature of the project. Similar initiatives were interrupted in the region, such as that of the Koranic school of Lormont supported by the Islamic confederation Millî Görüş.

Although the association also denies any political or religious link with a foreign country, the presence on June 8 at a support evening of the former imam of the Argenteuil mosque, Abou Omar, identified as a Salafist by intelligence, asks questions.

Two petitions launched to counter the projects

Reconqueste Gironde launched a first petition on October 30. “We did not put the name of the party forward because we hoped to be able to work with elected Ambaresian opposition officials: in 2020, during the last municipal elections, Reconquête did not yet exist,” explains Virginie Tournay, departmental delegate from Eric Zemmour's party. However, on November 3, the opposition group United for Ambarès-et-Lagrave (National Rally), launched its own petition.

The one supported by the local opposition targets the project of the Ibn Sina association and denounces, among other things, a negative impact on traffic and security, a risk of devaluation of real estate, and the lack of available parking spaces. She proposes to “relocalize the project” and gathers nearly 300 signatures this Friday.

Aiming at both projects, the text of Reconquête directly evokes religion and “a risk of Islamization” of Ambarès-et-Lagrave, which would become “Ambarès-les-deux-Mosquées”, in reference to Colombey- the-Two-Churches. Safeguarding the region's identity is also strongly emphasized. Nearly 2,000 people signed it this Monday. These two petitions together wish to gather as much support as possible, particularly before the municipal council meeting on November 12, reports South West.