France finds makeshift mosque at old fire station

For years, Muslims by the hundreds, dodging foot and vehicle traffic, have unfurled rugs on northern Paris sidewalks and put their foreheads to the ground outside two mosques for Friday prayers, for the simple reason that there’s not enough space inside.The move tackles one of France’s thorniest social dilemmas in recent years: How to integrate a large and expanding Muslim population that often feels alienated in a proudly secular country with deep Roman Catholic roots.France has banned religious wear including Jewish skullcaps, Muslim headscarves and Christian crufixes in public schools. This past spring, the government banned women from wearing face-covering Muslim niqabs and burqas in the streets.


Because of a gaping lack of mosques, many of France’s estimated 5 million-plus Muslims have been driven underground  at times literally in makeshift mosques to pray, such as in garages or basements. Outdoor prayers have also taken place in the southeastern cities of Marseille and Nice.