Mohamed Aissa: “Paris trusts assigned Algerian Imams in duly fighting extremism in France”

The Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Mohamed Aissa, has called on Imams and Mourchidate (women religious advisors) sent on assignment to France to appropriately represent Algeria in France with a view to restoring the true image of Islam there.

Chairing the opening of a training seminar on Thursday for the benefit of 61 imams and Mourchidate delegates in France, Mr. Mohamed Aissa asserted that these representatives of Algeria had been invested in “the mission of duly re-establishing the genuine image of Islam by wise speech but also by their daily deeds and exemplary behavior”.

More than just the representation, Algeria expects these imams and mourchidate to fully accomplish their mission in the mosques of France “at a time when Islam is wrongly accused of being the source of terrorism,” said the religious affairs minister, stressing that Algeria has always wished to recall that it is very proud of its Islam which is one of balance and level-headedness.

Mr. Mohamed Aïssa also exhorted these imams, who will be trained at 15 French universities, to heartily join the “civilizational project started in Algeria.”

He also hailed the confidence shown by the French side in “the path followed by Algeria through the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the purpose of de-radicalization”.

Moreover, during a meeting attended by the representative of the Central Office of Cults linked to the French Interior Ministry, Arnaud Schaumasse, and the Rector of the Paris Mosque, Dalil Boubekeur, the religious affairs and endowments Minister underlined that “the Algerian imams who knew in the 90s how to face up to extremism, now enjoy all the power to protect against this nefarious scourge”.