Boubakeur el Hakim, 24, is on trial this month in Paris accused with four other young Frenchmen of funneling French Muslim fighters to Iraq. The case is a delicate one, as France is largely strongly opposed to the U.S.-led campaign in Iraq, but also struggles against homegrown terrorism. In a French radio interview on RTL…
The Charlie-Hebdo weekly satirical Paris-based newspaper has been cleared of a charge of publicly abusing a group of people because of their religion. A group of French Muslim associations filed a complaint following their publication of the 2005 Danish cartoons in February 2006. The appeals court ruled that the cartoons were not aimed at insulting…
While the upcoming municipal elections in March are prompting candidates to court voters and support, many are making Muslims and mosques a major focus of their campaign – either supportive to attract Muslim supporters, or promising no increase in Islamic presence, drawing backing from rightist voters. The issue is major, as up for grabs are…
The Catholic Institute of Paris, in conjunction with the Grand Mosque of Paris, will offer a government-sponsored two-semester course beginning in January for thirty student imams to complete their religious training. The course, entitled Religions, Secularism, Interculturality will offer 400 hours of accredited instruction in four subject areas – general culture, legislative matters, openness and…
A nightly radio phone-in show in Paris has opened up a forum for French Muslim youth to ask questions about religious practice. The show is hosted by Ahmed el Keiy, a lawyer-turned-journalist, who invites imams to help answer questions a wide range of topics, from perfume and hair gel, to prayer. Citing a lack of…
