The Great Mosque of Paris celebrates its 100th anniversary, between memory and geopolitics

Inaugurated in 1926 in the Latin Quarter, the Great Mosque of Paris is celebrating its centenary. Born in homage to the Muslim soldiers who fell for France during the First World War, it has traversed history, becoming a geostrategic instrument.

Originally, it was a gesture of recognition. The Great Mosque of Paris was inaugurated in 1926 to honor the memory of Muslim soldiers who died under the French flag during the Great War. One hundred years later, this monument in the Latin Quarter carries a history far more complex than that of a simple place of worship.

Historian Benjamin Stora, a specialist in the Maghreb and colonial history, traces the evolution of this building, which gradually transcended its religious function to become a geopolitical tool. Over the decades, the mosque found itself at the crossroads of relations between France and Algeria, two countries whose often strained ties have largely shaped its destiny.

Its history also contains lesser-known episodes, notably the connections forged between Jewish and Muslim communities during particularly dark periods. These dimensions remain largely unknown to the general public, even though they shed light on entire swathes of Franco-Algerian history and the coexistence of minorities in France.