After the Paris attacks, the president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), Anouar Kbibech, announced the establishment of an “accreditation” for imams to promote “a tolerant and open Islam” in France.
This “certification,” which will be issued by the CFCM, is expected to include a verification of theological knowledge, adherence to republican values, and the signing of an “imam charter,” which is currently being developed, clarified the president of the representative body of mosques, following a meeting at the Ministry of the Interior. There is no indication at this point that this accreditation will be mandatory to recruit an imam.
This accreditation aims to ensure the “theological and secular training path” and will particularly cover “knowledge of the French context, the history of religions, and the Republic’s institutions” as well as secularism. It is described as somewhat of a “driving license,” allowing for the possibility of “revocation,” he added.
Even though this certification will not determine whether an imam can preach or not, “revoking the accreditation would hold the mosques accountable for their responsibilities.”
The CFCM is thus in the process of developing an “imam charter,” which will serve as an “engagement by each imam on a number of key points,” notably “elements of speech that will enable them to propagate an open, tolerant Islam” and one that is “respectful of the laws of the Republic,” continues Anouar Kbibech.
He also confirms the imminent establishment of a “religious council,” tasked with “developing this alternative discourse” to “theologically dismantle the arguments used by terrorist and jihadist organizations to recruit our youth.”
