France seeks to mend Muslim ties
Ministers eye creation of Islamic foundation in bid to defuse tension
PARIS: France’s government is seeking to open a new chapter in relations with the country’s Muslims following a summer scarred by extremist attacks and a ban on burkinis that ratcheted up communal tensions.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve met with senior Muslim representatives on Monday and agreed that the effort to revive ties would include the creation of an Islamic foundation, funded solely with money from within France.
Around 30 towns have banned the burkini from their beaches, with some mayors linking the bans to the July 14 extremist lorry attack in Nice that killed 86 and the murder of a Catholic priest near Rouen by Islamic State sympathisers.
The burkini controversy looks set to continue after several mayors said they would ignore a decision last Friday by the country’s top administrative court to suspend the ban.
Anouar Kbibech, leader of the French Council of the Muslim Faith, said he hoped Monday’s talks were the start of a new chapter in relations.
“This positive development will put an end to the repulsive saga of the burkini,” he added.
Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said the aim of the discussions was to forge “an Islam anchored in the values of the French Republic”.
Cazeneuve stressed, however, that all religions had to respect France’s laws on the strict separation of religion and state.
The talks will lead to the creation of a “Foundation for Islam in France”, which will aim to raise funds in France rather than abroad to ensure the transparent sourcing of funds.
But the choice of 77-year-old former defence minister Jean-Pierre Chevenement to head the foundation has sparked controversy, with many observers asking why a Muslim was not given the role.
Chevenement sidestepped the controversy, saying: “As a former interior minister myself, I could not turn down the opportunity to contribute to this initiative of great interest to the public.”
Cazeneuve said the foundation would act as a “bridge between the French state and France’s Muslims”.
Moroccan writer Tahar Ben Jelloun and the rector of a mosque in the central city of Lyon, Kamel Kabtane, are among the Muslims who will sit on the foundation’s board.
France’s secular laws mean that the foundation’s scope is limited to areas such as education and research.
“If they are given the financial means, Muslim institutions can strengthen their role in the prevention of radicalisation,” said Kbibech.
The anti-Islamophobia group which spearheaded the legal challenge to the burkini ban said it would go to court this week to force four French Riviera towns – Nice, Menton, Roquebrune-Cap-Martin and Frejus – to drop the measure. Nice is among the towns that have refused to obey the ruling.
Images of police apparently ordering a woman in a headscarf on the beach in Nice to remove clothing which allegedly contravened the ban sparked worldwide outrage.
However, Nice authorities insisted that the woman was simply showing police the swimsuit she was wearing under her top, over a pair of leggings, when the pictures were taken.