Joachim Véliocras writes at Islamisation, a website devoted to monitoring the steady Islamization of France. He has recently posted several articles on the projected Grand Mosque of Bordeaux, and questions the judgment of Alain Juppé, mayor of Bordeaux, who supports the project. Juppé, a member of President Sarkozy’s UMP party and the former French Prime Minister (1995-1997), is running again for mayor of Bordeaux in the upcoming municipal elections:

The Grand Mosque of Bordeaux project is spearheaded by the Association of Muslims of la Gironde (AMG), a member of the UOIF (Union of Islamic Organizations of France). The project, approved by the city in 2005, will be situated on the Garonne River and will house a prayer room for 2500 persons, a cafeteria, a cultural center with an amphitheater, a library, classes in the instruction of Arabic open to non-Muslims, and guest rooms.

Tariq Oubrou, mufti of the mosques operated by the AMG, will be the Sheik of the Grand Mosque. Oubrou, an intellectual pillar of the UOIF since its inception, has given lectures in the past on Hassan Al-Banna (1906-1949), in which he praises the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood for whom “it is in the nature of Islam to dominate, to impose its law on all nations and to spread its power throughout the entire world.”

Véliocras has some quotes from the lectures, including one where Oubrou accuses Mustapha Kemal of being a “Jew” disguised as a Muslim who abolished the Caliphate in 1925 adding that:

The Caliphate is an obligation, and the union of Muslims around the Caliph is an obligation.

In another quote Oubrou declares:

Islam, as directed by the Koran, touches all domains of life. It is a State, a country. It groups the whole community in one geographical entity. There are no borders. A border between two countries is a contemptible heresy in Islam. The Muslim Brothers do not recognize borders between Muslim peoples.

Still another quote from Oubrou:

Caliph directs people's lives through religion, he directs relations between men through religion. And when we say religion, it is not in the ecclesiastical or Judaic sense of the term. Religion in Islam has a completely different meaning, it is a way of life, a conception of things, a way of life according to the will of Allah. Others, non-Muslims... Alain Juppé is therefore the target of Sheik Tariq Oubrou.

 
It turns out, however that Mayor Juppé has a very good rapport with the promoters of the Grand Mosque of Bordeaux. In a “chat” held by Le Monde, readers asked the incumbent mayor some questions:

Question: When will the Grand Mosque of Bordeaux be built?
 
Juppé: We are in discussions with the Muslim community. We have excellent relations with the main leaders. I have already indicated that land would be offered to them. They are now working on the planning which, I hope, will materialize in the next few years.

Véliocras explains:

The city of Bordeaux purchased 11,000 square meters of land from the RFF [Rail Networks of France, a public establishment that owns, manages, and develops French railroads], only to turn them over to the Association of Muslims of la Gironde, in the form of a long-term lease and a symbolic rent, as is customary in cities run by UMP Party mayors, who wish to get around the law of 1905 separating Church and State.

 
In the same “chat” Mayor Juppé expressed his desire to develop the largely Islamic market place now situated at the foot of the magnificent Saint-Michel Basilica, in the heart of the historic district:

Juppé: I have repeatedly and clearly indicated that what makes Saint-Michel stand out, most notably the presence of a very colorful market on Saturdays and Sundays, will be preserved and even developed.

 
Véliocras differs with the mayor:

“Very colorful”? No. Ethnically very homogenous. On the square and the adjacent streets, there are ten halal butcher shops, no French butcher shop. Two Islamic bakeries where the saleswomen are veiled. Insurance agencies, banks, groceries, clothing stores... Everything is Muslim. It happens that I have lived in Bordeaux and witnessed directly the Islamic colonization of the city. One Saturday morning, I visited the market and took these photos.

There follows a series of photos of the market, two of which are posted here. To view all of them click here.

At Galliawatch I have spoken numerous times about long-term leases as a device for building mosques. Click here for an expanded explanation.