Mayotte, whose population is 95% Muslim, seems to have recently ignored the rules regarding secularism. On January 15, during the greeting ceremony of the university of the overseas department, a Muslim representative pronounced an Islamic prayer and blessed the establishment in front of a large audience,
Le Figaro
learned from several members of the staff. However, it is strictly forbidden to pray within the walls of public universities, unless an ecumenical room is provided for this purpose, which is not the case here.
The representative of the grand qadi, religious leader of the archipelago, nevertheless spoke in Arabic for more than a minute, as shown in a rebroadcast of the ceremony. This type of blessing, called
“douha”
in Mayotte, is very widespread.
“Every inauguration, every element of daily life, gives rise to a douha
,” defends Frantz Thille, secularism referent at the university.
The fine line between tradition and religion
However, this blessing
“shocked many colleagues”
in the establishment…
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