French President Francois Hollande made an unannounced visit to the main mosque in Paris today.
The move comes a year after 17 people were killed in jihadist attacks in Paris targeting satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo and a Jewish supermarket, resulting in increased anti- Muslim acts, some of which targeted places of worship, although the number was much lower after the November bloodshed than after those that took place in January.
Hundreds of French mosques are opening their doors to the public on Saturday and Sunday, in a bid by the Muslim community to build bridges following a series of jihadist attacks that rocked France in 2015.
French presidency official said, “The president had a short conversation and a moment of friendship and fraternity over a cup of tea.”