Abdelhamid Ben Badis Mosque

Mosque in Oran City, Oran Province, Algeria

35°41′49″N 0°37′59″W / 35.69694°N 0.63306°W / 35.69694; -0.63306ArchitectureTypemosqueStyleIslamicCompleted2015SpecificationsCapacity25000Minaret(s)1

The Abdelhamid Ben Badis Mosque (Arabic: مسجد عبد الحميد بن باديس) was inaugurated in Oran, Algeria in 2015.^[1]

Context

Abdelhamid Ben Badis is a revered figure among Algerian Muslims. In 1931, Ben Badis helped found the Association of Algerian Muslim Ulema, an Islamic reformist organization that helped combat assimilation into colonial French culture.^[2]

History

Plans for construction of the Mosque began in 1975. However, the site for the planned mosque moved four times in 25 years, before construction began in the year 2000. The construction process was marred with allegations of corruption, with construction stopping twice due to budget overruns. Three different companies were responsible for the construction during that time; an Algerian company, a Chinese company and later a Turkish company would complete the project. At its completion, the project cost an estimated 8.5 billion Algerian dinars, well over the allocated budget of 5 billion dinars.^[3]

Since its opening, the Mosque has become a meeting place for high-level figures. Minister of Religious Affairs and Waqf Mohammed Aissa spoke there in 2018 about promoting peace and tolerance within Islam.^[4] When Papal envoy Cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu visited Algeria for the beatification of the Martyrs of Algeria and the reopening of the Chapel at Fort Santa Cruz, he met with Minister Aissa and Sheikh Mohamed Bendjaber, Imam of the Mosque.^[5]

References

^ ryad. "Inauguration de la Grande Mosquée Abdelhamid Ben Badis". www.letempsdz.com. Archived from the original on 2016-12-29. Retrieved 2016-12-28.
^ Frank Tachau (1994) Political parties of the Middle East and North Africa, Greenwood Press, pp.4–5
^ Nour, Elyas (18 April 2015). "Oran : La grande mosquée voit le jour après...40 ans et 850 milliards :Algerie Focus France". Algerie Focus (in French). Retrieved 6 June 2019.^{[permanent dead link]}
^ "Mohamed Aissa : promouvoir le véritable Islam pour éradiquer les idées extrémistes | Radio Algérienne". www.radioalgerie.dz (in French). Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.
^ "Oran: le cardinal Giovanni Angelo Becciu visite la mosquée-pôle Abdelhamid Benbadis". www.aps.dz. Algerie Presse-Service. Archived from the original on 6 June 2019. Retrieved 6 June 2019.