Algerian President receives rector of Great Mosque of Paris

Algerian President, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, met the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, Chems Eddine Hafiz, in the capital city of Algiers.

During their meeting, Tebboune called on Hafiz “to pursue moderation and fight extremism.

“President Tebboune assured Hafiz his full support in the management of this historic spiritual building, giving him guidance to continue efforts and step up the performance of the institution, through the adoption of the middle way and the fight against radicalism and extremism,” the Algerian Presidency said on Facebook.

The meeting was reported to have been attended by the Algerian Presidency Chief of Staff, Abdelaziz Khellaf, and the Religious Affairs Minister, Youcef Belmehdi.

The joint meeting comes one day after Tebboune’s meeting with the French Foreign Minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, in Algiers.

Algeria has the right to veto the appointment of the Dean of the Paris Mosque.

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