HIBAPRESS
The controversy has resurfaced among French Muslims after the Great Mosque of Paris, which is managed by Algeria, announced the value of Zakat al-Fitr for this year at 7 euros, a step that contradicts what was announced by the French Council of the Muslim Faith, the official body representing Muslims in the country, which set the amount at 9 euros.
The divergent announcement caused confusion among the Muslim community in France, especially since the French Council of the Muslim Faith had previously announced the value of Zakat al-Fitr for this year at 9 euros, according to estimates related to the cost of basic food and average prices, before the Great Mosque of Paris issued a separate statement setting it at only 7 euros. The Great Mosque of Paris had previously contradicted the French Council of the Muslim Faith in the date of Ramadan as well, where the body representing Muslims announced that Thursday, February 19, 2026, would be the first day of Ramadan, based on astronomical data that confirmed the impossibility of seeing the crescent before the evening of February 18, before the mosque, which is managed by Algeria, issued an announcement in which it considered that Wednesday was the first day of the holy month, which then caused widespread confusion within the Muslim community in France. The Council later responded with an official statement in which it stressed that the conditions for seeing the crescent would not be met before the evening of February 18, reiterating that Thursday, February 19, is the first day of Ramadan for the year 1447 AH, and also clarified that the decisions of some Islamic countries are respected, but they should not be imposed on Muslims residing in France, in reference to the need for independence of religious decision-making within the country. The new disagreement over the value of Zakat al-Fitr comes to confirm the continued role of the Great Mosque of Paris in creating strife among French Muslims, and contradicting the official body representing them, following the same pattern that it wove at the beginning of the current month of Ramadan, when it announced a date that contradicted what the official institution had announced.
