French Government Puts an End to Imams Paid by Foreign Countries
7th March 2024
From 1 January 2024, France will no longer accept the presence on its soil of ‘seconded imams,’ i.e., foreign imams who are paid by a foreign country but reside and officiate in France. The measure, designed to reduce the influence of foreign powers on France’s Muslim community, is gradually coming into force, with varying degrees of difficulty.
It was one of President Emmanuel Macron’s wishes, expressed in Mulhouse in February 2020 as part of the fight against “Islamist separatism.” At the time, Macron announced his desire to put an end to seconded imams sent by Muslim countries to officiate in France, so that they could be replaced by imams trained in France.
At the time of the Mulhouse announcement, there were around 300 seconded imams, out of a total of 2,700. Turkey, Algeria, and Morocco are the main countries providing seconded imams.