On Saturday, for the November 11 ceremonies, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin laid a wreath at the Great Mosque of Paris in memory of Muslim soldiers who died for France during World War I.
The minister, alongside the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris Chems-Eddine Hafiz, laid this wreath crossed out in blue, white and red on the stele in memory of the first rector of the mosque, Si Kaddour Ben Ghabrit, the usual place of commemorations in the building. The prefect of police of Paris Laurent Nuñez, the president of the Ile-de-France region Valérie Pécresse and the mayor of the 5th arrondissement Florence Berthout, also attended the ceremony.
Between 70,000 and 100,000 Muslim fighters died for France during World War I. The politicians then met in a room of the mosque with about <> representatives of the Muslim community, who were to share their feelings and concerns in this period of conflict between Israel and Hamas.
In an op-ed published Saturday by Le Monde, Chems-Eddine Hafiz called for "an end to amalgamation" and "to stop accusing Muslims of the ills of our society, and in particular anti-Semitism."