By Hadi Yahmid, IOL Correspondent

PARIS, October 12 (IslamOnline.net) – The majority of French Muslims opts for allocating their Zakah (obligatory alms) to build grand mosques on a par with Christian churches and Jewish synagogues and replace many vaults used as prayer rooms.

They also play it safe being reassured that their money goes directly to the right place and does not end up in the wrong hands.

Stepping out of a Paris mosque, a French Muslim, who requested anonymity, told IslamOnline.net that it was incumbent upon Muslims in France to turn underground and chock-full prayer rooms into spacious mosques.

“It is high time to improve the appalling conditions of mosques in France to be on an equal footing with churches and synagogues. Can you imagine that some of them don’t have air conditions or even enough carpets?”

Imam Hamid bin Khamesa said his mosque in Paris’ 11th district was restored and furnished by Zakah.

“Muslims in France don’t think twice about giving their Zakah to mosques,” he told IOL.

Safe

An IOL survey shows that most Muslim Parisians preferred to hand their Zakah to mosque officials rather than giving it to other charities.

“I prefer mosques to other charities in the country, given the ferocious campaign against Muslim assets in the West driven by the [US] global war on terror,” Qadri Bin Salama, a restaurant owner told IslamOnline.net.

The number of mosques in France has increased to at least 1554 by the end of 2003, moving from rented underground rooms to owned places of worship in public places and squares.

French journalist and Islamic affairs expert Xavier Ternisien said the Paris northern suburb of Saint Denis hosts alone 97 mosques while there are 73 others in north France.

He said that mosques are now being built on Muslims' properties and not leased spaces as in the past

A new French book has been published highlighting the history of mosques in the northern Alsace area, the scene of recent racist attacks by Neo-Nazis and right-wing extremists.

Titled "Histoires de Mosquees", the book takes the readers back to the early stage of construction of mosques in France in 1960s with quotes from some Muslim figures in the country.