Paris’s Préfecture de la Police has forbidden an apéro géant (giant cocktail party) entitled “Saucisson Pinard” (Sausage and Wine) to take place tomorrow in La Goutte d’Or, a neighborhood in the 18th arrondissement, not far from the Basilica of Sacré Coeur. Why would the police department forbid such a fun, innocent event? Let’s start with the location of the carefully titled party: la rue Myrha, site of the Khalid Ibn Walid mosque, a mosque that is too small to accommodate all of the people who want to pray there. There are only two mosques in le quartier, which has a very high concentration of Muslims, so for years the faithful have taken to the streets — literally — in order to pray.

It is quite a sight, if you ever happen to walk by Rue Myrha during prayers. Hundreds of men kneeling on carpets, right in the middle of the street. Friday, of course, is the makeshift mosque’s busiest day, and sundown is its busiest hour. At this time, the street is blocked by the bodies men bowed in prayer as traffic crawls slowly by.

The organizers of “Saucisson Pinard” chose this exact hour for their event: Friday, 7 p.m. And what snack did they urge participants to bring? Saucisson, of course, because it is made from pork.
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