France no longer allows imams paid from abroad

Imams (Muslim leaders in mosques) sent from outside France and financially supported from other states are no longer welcome.

After a 3-year time of adaptation, the Interior Minister of the government explained that this new aspect of the 2020 “anti-separatism” law (which sought to fight radical Islamism) will be put in practice after 1^st January 2024.

The so-called “detached imams”, those who have been sent to French Islamic centres from other countries (many of them from Turkey, Morocco and Algeria), will no longer be able to remain “under this status”. The government asks them to leave their role and transition into roles paid by French-based Islamic associations. A new framework will enable worship place associations to directly hire imams.

The aim of Emmanuel Macron’s government is to make sure the Islam taught in France respects the laws and values of the country. Those preaching in mosques should be able to speak French and be “increasingly trained in France”.

Muslim organisations like the French Islamic Council of Faith and some influential imams have expressed their support for a change of model that aims to promote autonomy in Islamic practices.

Austria is the European country that first fought radical Islamism by putting an end to religious financing from abroad. After a 2015 law, in 2018, 7 mosques were closed and 60 imams expelled.