The Mosque of Paris and three Muslim federations installed Sunday in Paris a National Council of Imams (CNI), intended to give approval to imams, a "
historic
"
moment
according to its instigators, an "
irresponsible attitude
" according to its detractors.
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"
Today is a historic day
", declared the rector of the Mosque of Paris (GMP) Chems-eddine Hafiz, in front of 200 religious executives and managers of places of worship, coming from Paris and other regions, gathered in a hotel Porte de Bagnolet.
A project promoted by the Elysée
"
This moment seals our responsibility before the Muslims of France and before all our fellow citizens
", he added, recalling that this CNI - a project launched many times but without success - had been called for in the fall of 2020 by the Élysée, as part of the fight against radical Islam and "separatism".
This body is set up, in addition to the GMP, by the Rassemblement des Musulmans de France, Musulmans de France (ex-UOIF close to the Muslim Brotherhood) and the French Federation of Islamic Associations of Africa, the Comoros and the Antilles (FFAIACA ), who left the executive office of the French Muslim Worship Council (CFCM) last March.
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Sunday morning, at the Mosque of Paris, the presidents of these four federations, imams of these federations and independent imams - that is to say a constituent assembly of 26 people - voted the statutes of this CNI and elected "
unanimously
" l 'Imam Ba Amadou, President.
Train imams in France
"
The first mission of the CNI will be to support the professional life of imams and mourchidates (women with a religious responsibility such as chaplains for example) in France
", underlined Chems-eddine Hafiz.
"
An approval request form
" will be available, according to "
validated grids
" this Sunday, said Anouar Kbibech, president of the RMF.
This barely formed body has already been contested by the president of the CFCM.
In a press release this week, Mohammed Moussaoui described the initiative as “a
diversion of work done under the aegis of the CFCM
”.
Announcing the establishment of a CNI on December 12, he promised that the CFCM reserved “
the right to act by all legal means to put an end to this irresponsible attitude
”.
"
We are not closing the door to anyone,
" the two officials stressed on Sunday.
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