The French government confirmed this week the formation of the “Islam Forum in France” with the aim of replacing the “French Council of the Muslim Faith” whose record has been criticized after 20 years of its formation.
The head of the council, Mohamed Mousawi, stressed that his institution is no longer viable and should dissolve itself.
Mousawi expressed his support for the government’s initiative to organize an “Islam Forum in France” in the coming weeks, with the participation of “80 to 100 people”, including cultural officials, imams and members of civil society in Paris to discuss topics including preparing imams, organizing religion and anti-Muslim actions.
Four working groups have now started meeting remotely, according to what the French Ministry of the Interior confirmed to AFP, adding that the forum will meet annually after that.
The initiative, which was confirmed by French President Emmanuel Macron, last Wednesday, during a meeting with religious authorities, aims to represent Islam based on local parties, which complements meetings held at the provincial level in recent years.
It aims in particular to put an end to the continuing disruptions within the French Council of the Muslim Faith.
The French Council of the Muslim Faith was founded in 2003 and constituted one of the main hubs of the French authorities. It is composed of about ten mosque associations, the majority of which are close to the countries of origin of the worshipers in them, such as Morocco, Algeria and Turkey.
France is one of the largest European countries in terms of the size of the Muslim community.
