This Is Algeria’s Alternative To Keeping Imams In France

What is Algeria’s plan to face the decision of the French authorities to prevent the importation of new imams or religious preachers to this country as of the New Year 2024? Does it have other alternatives? The possibility exists, given the specificity of the Algerian presence in France, which is evident in the largest religious institution affiliated with Algeria on French soil, represented by the Grand Mosque of Paris.
The Paris Mosque is considered the Algerian religious façade in France, and it is the responsibility of the Algerian state to finance it, with the aim of framing the religious and cultural activities of the members of the Algerian community and other Muslim communities, and it has reached, according to the latest figure issued by the Minister of Religious Affairs and Endowments, Mohamed Belmehdi, worth about 315 billion dinars.
The French law that came into force at the beginning of this year aims to eliminate the payment of salaries for imams present on French soil from a foreign country. The process therefore requires some arrangements to be made by the Paris mosque, since it is an official French institution but subject to Algerian supervision and funding.
Since the religious associations of the mosques that employ imams brought from Algeria or elsewhere are unable to provide and pay the imams’ salaries, the Paris Mosque is able to assume this task if it receives more funds from the Algerian authorities so that the law allows it to employ more imams as an official Algerian religious institution, it is subject to French law.
The French newspaper “Le Monde” says: “To overcome the problem, the Grand Mosque of Paris must ensure that the Algerian state is on its side in terms of financing, which will allow it to pay the salaries that must be paid, and which will allow it to retain imams who want to work in France. “But under a French contract”.
The number of places of worship in France is about 2,900 mosques, and the availability of a local financial resource to pay the wages of imams would prevent the French Interior Ministry from pursuing them, according to what was stated by the Dean of the University of the Grand Mosque, Chemsdine Hafiz, in statements quoted by the newspaper “Le Monde”. “.
As for imams from other countries, such as Turkey, the Turks look for financial resources provided by local associations, according to Ibrahim Alji, head of the “Turkish Muslims” coordinating committee from France, according to a police source. If this is not possible, the solution is to turn to the Turkish Imam reservoir in neighboring Germany, as Turkey continues to send religious personnel there.
As for the other country affected by the decision of the French authorities to prevent the recruitment of imams, represented by the Kingdom of Morocco, the latter took the initiative before the issuance of the decision, through its arm, the “Union of French Mosques”, to stop the recruitment of 27 imams from Morocco in 2021, unlike Algeria and Turkey, which insisted that the imams remain on French soil until the ban is issued and that they think of alternative solutions to overcome the decision in a legal manner.