French Government Seeks To Reshape Islam In The Country

 

The French government on Saturday introduced a new body to reshape Islam in France to lead the largest Muslim community in western Europe.

The new reform is a part of President Emmanuel Macron’s efforts to get rid of extremism from the country. The new body, The Forum of Islam in France leadership will be made up of clergy and lay people to help the Muslim community in western Europe. The government will pick all the members of the forum.

The government-appointed clergy will include imams, prominent figures from civil society, intellectuals, and business leaders. At least a quarter of the body will be made up of women.

The new forum will replace the French Council of Muslim Faith. The council was formed in 2003 to act as a mediator between the French government and the French Muslim community. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that the council will dissolve soon as it is unable to tackle Islamist extremism. The interior minister reportedly said, “We want to trigger a revolution and free Islam from foreign influence.”

#IEWorld | The new body, called the Forum of Islam in France, is being introduced Saturday by the French Interior Ministry. Supporters say it will keep the country — and its 5 million Muslims — safe and free of foreign influence.https://t.co/9xq37KluG8

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) February 5, 2022

Emmanuel Macron said that training imams in France are one of the core aims underlying the new reform. France does not want to bring imams from Turkey, Morocco, and Algeria. The new reform also breaks the centralised leadership of clerics in France.

France suffered because of past Islamic extremist attacks. Reportedly, hundreds of citizens also went to fight with jihadists in Syria in the past few years. Some people disagree that radicalisation is a danger in France. However, critics see the efforts by the government as a political ploy to impress right-wing voters ahead of France’s presidential election.

"We will not yield anything," said President Emmanuel Macron, who has vowed to crack down on what he called "Islamist separatism" in France. How that crackdown is being carried out has left many of the country's six million Muslims feeling alienated: https://t.co/fup5kedecF pic.twitter.com/fM7u3jU63z

— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 29, 2020

Islam is the second-largest religion in France. Earlier, Muslims in France complained of discrimination in their daily life. In 2021, the French parliament also approved a law to strengthen oversight of mosques, schools, and sports clubs to safeguard France from radical Islamists and to promote respect for secularism and women’s rights.