In France, April 1, 2024 officially marks the end of the status of seconded imams, these foreign religious people paid by States but sent to France to work in French mosques. The measure was announced by Emmanuel Macron in 2020 during a speech on Islamist separatism, with one objective: to fight against foreign influences on Islam in France.
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To continue practicing in France, foreign imams no longer have the choice, they must become employees of a mosque or the association which manages it and can no longer be paid by the foreign states of which they are civil servants. The measure concerns 300 seconded imams out of the 3,000 listed in France, mainly Turks and Algerians.
To stay in France, these imams will also have to follow, in addition to the theological aspect, non-religious training and demonstrate a certain level of French. The goal is to raise awareness to dialogue between the State and religions », According to the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin.
But a majority of seconded imams could choose to return to their country of origin because by becoming employees, they will represent an additional cost that certain mosques, especially the smallest, could hardly assume. “ We do not ask for money from foreign countries. We make a contribution once a month. Faithful people give a donation which is used to pay the mosque’s expenses, electricity or water bills, for example. These charges will therefore naturally increase if we take charge of the imam,” according to the vice-president of the French Council of Muslim Worship Abdallah Zekri. Staying in France could therefore be synonymous with financial loss with, as a result, a much lower salary than that which they received as civil servants.
ifEnd of imams seconded to France: how to continue preaching in the mosques concerned?