A European alliance of mosques and Muslim leaders called Ammale held its first council on Friday in Paris, to promote
“a just Islam”
and combat discrimination against Muslims. The fruit of several years of work, the Alliance of Mosques, Associations and Muslim Leaders in Europe (Ammale) was officially launched on October 7 in Paris, with Muslim leaders from 17 countries, but its birth was overshadowed by the attack. of Hamas in Israel.
It is about
“uniting the voices and efforts of Muslim institutions and personalities across Europe, defending the true message of Islam, contrary to all forms of extremism, and protecting dignity and citizenship Muslims
,” said the rector of the Grand Mosque Chems-eddine Hafiz during a press conference.
Indeed
“the lack of coordination between Muslim institutions weakens the scope of our actions and our voice even though they are necessary
,” insisted Hafiz, also president of Ammale (which also means
“hope”
phonetically).
“This produces empty spaces in which all forms of extremism intrude and grow
,” he added, saying he was
“aware of the rise of incomprehension, intolerance and racism through of political and media movements
.
“The doors are wide open”
Other representative associations already exist, such as the European Muslim Leaders Council (EULEMA) for example. For the Ammale
“we brought together those who are close to what the Great Mosque of Paris (GMP) represents, that is to say a Sunni, Maliki school of thought. But we know that there are several schools”
and
“the doors are wide open”
, underlined Hafiz. An association under French law, organized around the GMP which ensures its financing, Ammale aims in particular to
"coordinate actions"
to fight against anti-Muslim hatred and discrimination, to
"promote the humanist values of Islam"
, to fight against radicalization and to
“block the extreme right”
.
“Let’s participate in the European elections”
, pleaded Hafiz, defending
“a just Islam”
.
For Adbassamad El Yazidi, vice-president of Ammale and secretary general of the Central Council of Muslims in Germany,
“our role is to mobilize people so that they participate in the vote”
in the face of an extreme right which wants
“that the States Europeans are turning against the founding values of Europe
.