During World War II the Paris Jami Mosque saved Jewish people. Its imam (Si Kaddur Benghabrit 1868-1954) organized a haven for Jews and the issuing of fake Muslim birth certificates.
Benghabrit was born in Algeria when the country was a territory of France. He died in the year of the beginning of the fight for independence. All his life he had been trying to simplify the process of integration between the French and Arab cultures; his main project was the Paris Jami Mosque, which was opened in honor of Muslim soldiers who fought for France in World War I.
This mosque was a haven for dozens of Jews and members of the Resistance during the occupation of Paris. The Gestapo organized street raids, searching for Jewish men, but there were many Muslims in Paris, so the Gestapo demanded that Benghabrit inform it about one person’s family. He was one of the most affluent Jews in Europe.
Benghabrit responded positively to all the queries – yes, he is a Muslim – and wrote the name of the person into the list of prayers. Once Salim Halali, an Algerian Jew who was a well-known singer in Paris, appealed to Benghabrit for his help. He didn’t want to take a risk, and asked Benghabrit to issue him a document which could confirm that he was a Muslim. Benghabrit issued him the document and wrote the name of Halali’s grandfather on a nameless grave on the territory of the mosque.
After that, people often appealed to Benghabrit. He began to issue documents on the Arab origins of dozens of Paris and North African Jews at the risk to his life. He even hid members of the French Resistance in the mosque’s cellar. Benghabrit tried to destroy evidence of his activity, which is why the exact number of people whom he saved was unknown. According to various sources, it was from 500 to 1500 people.
