https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/12800/qatar-france-mosques
The Great Mosque of Poitiers, for instance, sits in the vicinity of the site of the Battle of Tours, where Charles Martel, ruler of the Franks, stopped the advancing Muslim army of Abdul al-Rahman in the year 732.
“We have funds from abroad… it comes from the faithful of Saudi Arabia and Qatar,” says Ahmed Jamaleddine, treasurer of the Amal association, which is behind the construction of “the Great Mosque of Saint-Denis.” Saint-Denis also happens to be home to a famous Cathedral, the Basilica of Saint-Denis — which contains the royal necropolis where many of France’s kings are buried.
The Emir of Qatar appears to have a far greater grasp of French history than many French do.
Qatari activism in France should greatly worry those who care about the stability of European democracies. For years, Qatar has been the focus of many claims about its Islamic fundamentalism and its alleged support for the Muslim Brotherhood, Iran, ISIS, elements of al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Taliban and other Islamic extremists.
Qatar’s emir, Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, recently provided solid proof that France is a privileged field of projection for his country, which, for more than a year, has had a severe boycott imposed on it by its Gulf neighbors. A July meeting in Paris between the Emir of Qatar and French President Emmanuel Macron was the third held in just a few months. Contracts worth more than 12 billion euros have already been signed, making Qatar the third largest French customer in the Gulf after Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Qatar, however, casts its shadow not only over the French economy.