ʃˈeɪk ˈælɐlˈɑːwi hɪmsˈɛlf tɹˈævəld tə fɹˈæns ɪn nˈaɪntiːnhˈʌndɹɪd twˈɛnti sˈɪks, ænd lˈɛd ðə fˈɜːst kəmjˈuːnəl pɹˈɛɹ tʊ ɪnˈɔːɡjʊɹˌeɪt ðə nˈuːli bˈɪlt pˈæɹɪs mˈɑːsk ɪnðə pɹˈɛzəns ʌvðə fɹˈɛntʃ pɹˈɛzɪdənt.
Sheikh Al-Alawi himself travelled to France in 1926, and led the first communal prayer to inaugurate the newly built Paris Mosque in the presence of the French president.