Continuous Interference of the French Authorities Disperses the Muslim Community

The continuous interference of the French authorities in the management of Muslim affairs has caused fragmentation among the institutions that organize religious rituals and listen to the concerns of the Muslim community in France.

This fragmentation was evident through the difference in setting the date of Eid al-Fitr, which is expected next week, and the value of Zakat al-Fitr.

At a time when the dean of the Grand Mosque of Paris, led by the Algerian, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, announced that the night of the sighting of the crescent of Shawwal would be the night of Monday to next Tuesday (the eighth of April), the French Council of the Islamic Religion, headed by the Frenchman of Moroccan origin, Mohamed Moussaoui, came out to designate Wednesday, April 10, as the first day of the month of Shawwal, i.e., the first day of Eid al-Fitr.

In a tweet on the “X” platform, the deanship of the Paris Mosque said in a statement, “The religious committee charged with detecting the crescent of Shawwal and determining the date of Eid al-Fitr for the year 2024 in France will meet on the Monday evening, Ramadan 29, 1445, corresponding to April 8, 2024, after the el-Asr prayer, at the Grand Mosque of Paris.

In the same statement, the Deanship of the Grand Mosque informed the community members that two prayers will be organized for Eid al-Fitr, to enable the worshipers to perform this ritual. The time of the first prayer will be at seven-thirty on the morning of Eid, while the second will be at eight-fifteen in the morning as well, specifying the value of Zakat al-Fitr for the year 1445 AH, at seven euros, an amount that was determined about ten years ago.

As for the French Council of the Muslim Religion (CFCM), it also stated on the “X” platform, which is different from its predecessor in almost everything, as it set the date of Eid al-Fitr on Wednesday, the tenth of April, based on what it called “scientific data,” and “The calculation standards adopted by the Islamic Religious Council in 2013,” which, as stated in the statement, make it impossible to see the Shawwal crescent on the night of Monday to Tuesday in all countries of the world.

The French Council for Muslim Religion estimated the value of Zakat al-Fitr in France by two euros, more than the value specified by the deanship of the Paris Mosque, so that the value of Zakat al-Fitr in the current year became nine euros, according to the statement, which attributed this increase to the rise in food prices in recent years.

Thus, the Deanship of Paris has adopted the method of determining the crescent of Shawwal according to what is practised in Algeria. In contrast, the French Council for Muslim Religion (CFCM) has adopted the astronomical calculation method, which means that the two methods may not agree on a single date for Eid al-Fitr, which may lead to fragmentation among the Muslim community in this country.