'The usual suspects': Imams in France

The Imam of the al-Islah Mosque in the eastern Paris suburb of Montreuil hopes that French Muslims become ambassadors of peace in France and true representatives of Islam and its prophet. Sheikh Mohannad frequently reminds his congregation to respect the laws of the land during his sermons.

Imam Mohannad, who moved to France from Algeria a few years ago, is not an exception among French imams.

Many French observers confirm that the threat of radicalisation comes not from imams but from radical websites. Radicalised youth, meanwhile, see imams as agents of the French police.

Imams are not the issue

Mathieu Guidere, a professor of Islamic Studies at the University of Toulouse II, said that only a small number of imams in France are accused of extremism.

The media sensationalises this issue and presents it in a simplistic manner to a public that is irrationally afraid of attacks

"Extremist imams don't exceed 50 out of 1,500 imams in France," he said.

"We also need to define what we mean by extremism, because imams from Tablighi Jamaat [a conservative proselytising group] for example are considered extremists in France, while they are non-violent," he told al-Araby al-Jadeed.

"The media sensationalises this issue and presents it in a simplistic manner to a public that is irrationally afraid of attacks," added Guidere.

Sadiq Salam, a researcher specialising in Islam in France agrees with Guidere, saying that there was no proof that people had been radicalised in mosques - as recruitment into radical groups would appear to take place elsewhere.

"If we want to be objective, we would find that mosques in the past few decades have worked to calm down youth who are angry at long-term unemployment that has affected them and their parents," said Salam.

"However, in times of crisis, French media searches for scapegoats, and they've found imams, prison chaplains and some websites to blame."

Salam believes that laying responsibility for extremism on imams is an exaggeration - as the authorities have monitored sermons for the past 20 years, as many imams are aware.

According to figures from the French interior ministry, France had 2,449 mosques by 2012, up from 1,536 in 2000.

French authorities have, however, deported as many as 40 imams since 2012. The government accused them of spreading hate - while Sadiq Salam believes the deportations "were to appease certain political parties".

Training French imams

Sadiq Salam stressed that many initiatives to train French imams had been obstructed by French authorities.

In 1989, the Muslim thinker Mohammed Arkoun wanted to create a higher institute for the study of Islam.

Many young people want to learn about Islam, but they don't want to do so through social sciences that treat Muslims as suspects - Sadiq Salam

Arkoun's plan was partly inspired by events surrounding the publication of Salman Rushdie's Satanic Verses, as Arkoun believed that condemnation alone was not enough - and young French Muslims needed to be taught that Islam and secularism could be compatible in an academic environment.

However, the authorities at the time "held a very simplistic view of Islam" and objected to the project, according to Salam, who believes that the role of politicians in preventing such projects should not be forgotten.

Salam argues that Muslims educational institutions do not receive the same treatment as Christian or Jewish institutions that receive public funding.

"There are seven million Muslims in France and many young people want to learn about Islam, but they don't want to do so through applied social sciences that treat Muslims as suspects and increase mistrust," he said.

"That is why young people are travelling to Pakistan or Yemen to learn about Islam, while they could've been taught here in France just like Arkoun had suggested."

However, Hassan Mossadak, the director of political sociology research at the Sorbonne University's History of Modern Thought Systems Centre, believes that Muslim institutions are seen like any other religious institutions, but media attitudes are dependent on owners' editorial agendas.

Whenever there is an attack or a massacre somewhere in the world, they are asked to condemn it as a Muslim community - Mathieu Guidere

Islamophobia

Professor Mathieu Guidere believes that French authorities and the Muslim community are under pressure from the media and public opinion, which makes both their tasks very difficult.

"The French public in general is not religious, which is why it is hyper-sensitive to expressions of Muslim identity in public life. Then there are violent acts committed by a small minority of Muslims against the state, which makes the majority suffer from increasing Islamophobia," said Guidere.

"Muslims are being asked to integrate and live like other French citizens without expressing an Islamic identity, but whenever there is an attack or a massacre somewhere in the world, they are asked to condemn it as a Muslim community."