Algiers, Algeria – Fifty-two university students from the Algerian diaspora participated in a comprehensive enrichment program at the Djamaa El-Djazaïr (Great Mosque of Algiers) on Friday. The initiative was organized by the mosque’s administration in coordination with the Secretariat of State at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, responsible for the national community abroad.
According to a statement from the mosque’s administration, the event welcomed students from various parts of the world. It aims to strengthen the connection between the rising generations and their homeland.
The students embarked on a detailed tour of the Djamaa El-Djazaïr, exploring its various spiritual, scientific, and cultural institutions. They gained insights into the integrated vision underpinning this cultural landmark, designed as a space for worship, knowledge, and dialogue. The visit highlighted the mosque’s role as a comprehensive institution for national religious reference, encompassing both historical and contemporary dimensions.
A key component of the program was an interactive scholarly session led by professors and imams from the mosque. The session, conducted in Arabic, English, and French, focused on the foundations of Algerian religious authority and its characteristics rooted in moderation and balance. It emphasized its role in safeguarding identity and strengthening national belonging.
Following the session, the students engaged in a spiritually significant activity, reciting Surah Al-Kahf collectively before Friday prayers. This act underscored a manifestation of living religious authority, embodying the connection between worship and the collective emotional experience, before they performed Friday prayers within the mosque.
The program concluded with a meeting between the delegation and the Dean of Djamaa El-Djazaïr, Sheikh Muhammad al-Ma’mun al-Qasimi al-Hassani. The meeting focused on the mosque’s openness to the diaspora, aligning with the Algerian state’s broader objective of strengthening ties with its citizens abroad. Emphasis was placed on establishing a unified religious and national reference point, preserving distinctiveness while addressing contemporary challenges.
This initiative underscores Djamaa El-Djazaïr’s commitment, as a national religious and scientific institution, to supporting the Algerian diaspora. It provides them with an understanding of their country’s institutions and connects them to its religious foundations and cultural identity, within a balanced vision that combines loyalty to origins with a conscious openness to the world.
