France decided on Friday to stop importing imams from other countries, starting from the beginning of 2024, according to what Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced in a letter to the countries concerned with the file.
The minister explained that after April 1, 2024, foreign imams sent by other countries will not be able to continue to reside in France “in that capacity.”
At the beginning of 2020, President Emmanuel Macron announced his desire to end the duties of about 300 imams sent by various countries (Algeria, Turkey, Morocco and others), and to increase the number of imams trained in France.
Darmanin referred to the “advance notice” issued three years ago to give the mosques and concerned countries sufficient time, and confirmed on Friday that the decision “will be effectively implemented as of January 1, 2024.”
As for foreign imams who are still in France, they will have to change their status, and as of April 1, a “special framework” will be put in place to allow associations that manage mosques to employ imams themselves and pay their salaries directly.
The goal is not to prevent foreign imams from preaching in France, but to ensure that none of them receive salaries from a foreign country in which they are government employees.
On the other hand, the decision does not apply to “Ramadan imams”, who are reciters numbering up to 300 who visit France during the month of fasting.
At the same time, the minister stressed the need for an “increasing proportion” of imams who are “at least partially trained in France.”
This requires the establishment of training programs that the state “ensures” to “respect the laws and principles of the French Republic.”
In addition to religious training, the state also wants to support imams’ access to university training.
In response to a question from Agence France-Presse, the head of the Federation of Mosques of France, Mohamed Moussaoui, said that Morocco has no longer been concerned with the measure announced by Darmanin since 2021.
He added that his union employed the 27 imams sent by Morocco and they no longer receive salaries from Rabat.
The number of imams sent by Algeria is estimated at 120 imams.
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2023-12-29 22:08:19
