Imams Banned From Criticizing Racism, Islamophobia In France

The “Republic Charter of the National Council of Imams” in France, which was called by the French President, Emmanuel Macron, imposes measures requiring imams to confront any demands that criticize the situation of the Muslim community due to racism or call for improving its position, and this is the pact which was considered “an intellectual guide” and not a “charter of values”, as was expected.

The draft of this charter, which will be referred to the Interior Minister, Gérald Darmanin, next Wednesday, and which was introduced according to the decision of the French President to confront what he called “Islamic isolationism”, according to the newspaper “Mediapart”, requires the imam to defend the viewpoint of the French state, and address the opinion that accused it of racism, as a result of recent measures against the followers of the Islamic religion without others from other religions such as Judaism and Christianity.

In his controversial speech last October, Macron called (about what he called “Islamic isolationism”) for the reconsideration of the conduct of the affairs of the Islamic religion, before outlining its main lines during his meeting with officials of the “French Council of the Muslim Faith” CFCM in last November 18.

Among the contents of the “Republic Charter,” there is forcing imams to confront all campaigns that may include defamation of the possible acts of persecution against Muslims in France. It also confirmed the recognition of the values of the French Republic and that Islam in France is “a religion and not a political movement”, and ends the external intervention, whether in terms of funding or in terms of imams who come from nationalities other than French and whose number reached about 300 imams.

It is known that the Ministry of Religious Affairs sends dozens of Algerian imams to frame some mosques in France, and it is the one that pays their wages and fees, in addition to imams of other nationalities such as Morocco and Turkey. Algeria also pays approximately seven million euros annually to run the affairs of the Paris Mosque, which dean holds Algerian citizenship since its construction in the 1920s and until today, including the current dean, Chamseddine Hafid.

The newspaper quoted a French imam commenting on this charter, stating: “The government wanted to put in place a bad charter to ensure that some unions will not sign it, and at that time the imams are classified according to the logic of who is with the republic and who is against it, and the goal is to facilitate the completion of the tasks of those who do not respond to the new orientations of the French government”.

The contents of the Charter, according to Mediapart, are considered an unprecedented attack on freedom of conscience, and lead to “state control over the Islamic religion in France, in addition to oppression on freedom of expression, and thus prohibiting exposing systemic racism”, inferred by the decision to dissolve “the Association for Combatting Islamophobia in France”, which led to a severe silence about racism and violations of the rights of the Muslim community.