TEHRAN Abubakr Dalil, the director of Paris's new grand mosque, says that official permission for the construction of this mosque was only given after an unnecessary delay of eighteen years. The mosque will be located in northern Paris.

It is clear that permission for the construction of any building other than a mosque would have been probably granted in a few days or months, in spite of the fact that France calls itself the cradle of freedom and democracy.

Dalil said that sometimes Muslims in France have to say their prayers in open places such as public parks because of the lack of space, especially on Islamic holidays.

He expressed hope that the construction of this mosque would provide an adequate place of worship for the Muslim residents of Paris.

He attributed the long delay to bureaucratic obstacles, improper laws and regulations, and problems created by some influential French citizens, and requested that Muslim nations assist in speeding up the construction of mosques in France.

He also pointed to the fact that some influential French personalities opposed the construction of Islamic places of worship in France and added that there are still some people in France and other European countries who do not have a true understanding of Islam, while at the same time some of the Western media are trying to exacerbate this misunderstanding, causing many problems for Muslims in Europe.

He expressed his hope that they would succeed in showing the real face of Islam to the European people, saying that nobody is helping them in their mission to combat anti-Islamic propaganda.