What are the challenges Islam is facing nowadays in France, especially after it turns to an integral part of the French society? What is the role played by the General Federation of the French Muslims for protecting the second and third generations of the French Muslims who have no intention to return to their homelands? How can the Muslims, as a minority, face the secular society around them? What is relationship between Islam and France? What are the phases this relationship has experienced? What is the role the Saudi Kingdom can play in providing the necessary support, politically and financially, for the Muslims in France?

These were the questions discussed during the interview with Dr. Mohammed Al-Bashary, the Head of the General Federation of the French Muslims.

Islam and France

Initially, Dr. Mohammed highlighted the statues quo of Islam and its relationship with France, showing that the France and Islam have a historical relationship dating back to the Islamic conquer to Spain (Andalusia) and the invasions carried out by the earlier Muslims toward the south of France. Historically, there are some French cities bearing names of Arabian origin, like Tolos (Talaosa) and Faragon (Al-Arn�aoba). Further, any wonderer around the French cities can notice the Islamic heritage and mountains spreading all over France. During the falling of the Islamic Empire in Andalusia, France played a major role in absorbing the Muslims fleeing from Andalusia. One, in this regard, should remember the role of King Fran�ois Promi Rue with Muslims. Also, Napoleon tried to be at a good terms with Islam as illustrated in Abu Qeer battle in Egypt in 1798. The historians sill mention the dialogue exchanged between Napoleon and the Muslim scholars during that period; he asked about Al-Shaf�ay�s book Letter of the Mother from which 22 articles of the French revolution constitution are derived. After the occupation of Algeria by the French troops in 1730, France became the biggest container of the Islamic communities in Europe due to its colonies in Morocco, North of Africa, Senegal and Mali. Muslims coming from these origins played unforgettable role within the French troops in protecting Europe during the 1 and 11 World Wars.

Constructive Relationship

France acknowledges this historical role played by the Muslims during the 1 World War in defending both of France and Europe. Accordingly, the French government decided, as Dr. Mohammed said, to build a great Islamic establishment as a gesture of gratitude due to the French Muslims. So, in 1926, the first mosque was built up in Paris under the sponsor of the Moroccan Sultan Yous and Marshal Al-Youty, the Permanent Ruler of Morocco at that time. Later, this gratitude relationship turned to a constructive one after the French infrastructure destroyed by the two World Wars. The destroyed society was re-established by the Muslim hands immigrated to France from many Islamic countries during the fiftieth and sixtieth decades. With their arrival from the North Africa, the Muslim workers spread Islam in France. As was limited in France, Islam originated an opportunity for spreading a phenomenon of setting up place of praying (Musalaya) inside the French factories and workers� residence complexes.

With the end of the worker immigration in 1974, another kind of immigration started; it was the immigration of the Arab minds to France. The influence of Islam began to turn from a blue-collar nature to an educated and civilized one. Through this new change, the Islamic existence was given another formation in quantity and quality. With the arrival of the left party to the power, the social and civil communities were established. Among them, the religious and Islamic establishments were set up from 1982. After the retreat of the left ideological ideas and the schema merging aimed at containing the Muslim citizen within the French society, the enlightenment phase appeared in the form of the Islamic Uprising Movement to tackle the Islamic existence in France in a new different approach. Under the sponsor of the Islamic World League, the Muslims gathered in France, in 1985, to establish a comprehensive independent universal Islamic organization, the General Federation of the French Muslims, and I have the honor to head it in its fifth presidency.



The Federation Program

In its 10th congress, in 1995, the General Federation of the French Muslims put a program completely different from the all ones presented by the other sister organizations in France. We, Dr. Mohammed continued, have deepened the Islamic action through the mature organizational work, supposing that there is a necessity to put a fixed policy for defending the French Muslims against the plans of containment, particularly the second and third generations of Muslims in France have no intention to go back to their homelands. Instead of the passive reaction, we started from a positive action illustrated in opening and spreading throughout the French society. Here, as Dr. Mohammed said, many new methods have been employed in Dawah, like the independent organization apart form the original homelands of the Muslim immigrants and the spiritual loyalty and connectivity with the Islamic world. Moreover, we have an interactive, yet unconditioned, contact with the spiritual matters the Muslims are facing now. Secondly, we avoid involving within what is called the Islamic political movements and governments, refusing to make France and its mosques as containers for the battles of these matters one may see in some Islamic countries. In reality, it is better for the Islamic countries, politically and culturally, to avoid using these minor Islamic communities in the forged conflicts left by the colonization period. Similarly, two principles have been adopted and we have held a dialogue between the Islam and Christianity, believing that the people of the heavenly missions pursue sublime and humane aims through which we can pursue common targets although the difference between the religions, regulations and the applied methodologies. Also, we can restore the humanity nature back to all of us, sustaining the sacredness of the humane movement. By these principles, we can establish the utopia of passion and brotherhood based upon justice and equality. Hand in hand, we can return back the lost role of the family, giving the paternity the due power and authority and maternity the real role in educating.

Moreover, we have opened the door before the mutual dialogue between Islam and secularism, especially that Islam lives for the first time as a minor religious community in an non-Muslim society, even within a secular society whose constitution states in its second section that the Republic of France is a secular Republic which does not discriminate between all religions.

Challenges before Islam

From this starting point, Islam has begun to face many challenges from its new statues in addition to the new challenges the French society as whole faces. For Islam, the first challenge is the possibility of the co-existence between this religion as a minor community and the surrounding secular society. In other words, if there is an interpretation (Ijtehad) dialogue among the Muslims themselves, may a French Muslim face some matters that once were absent from his mind and life, taking into consideration that the French Muslim community is surrounded by a secular society? Importantly, Islam is a religion, Dr. Mohammed said, of a comprehensive and broad perspective; it is a religion which can give and take, enriching itself automatically whenever he convenient conditions are available. Our Islamic heritage has many instances that confirm this truth. Take for example the great work of Ibn Al-Qayam Al-Jouzaya Zad Al-Ma�ad which contains a chapter of Fatwas that may change in accordance to time and place and condition.
Among the most important challenges Islam is facing now is the stubborn stance of the French government vis-a-vis some matters like the head scarf (Hijab), the formal refusal to establish new mosques, absence of the free Islamic education, the rarity of the Islamic cemeteries and the problem of Islamic way of slaughtering animal.

On the other hand, France was not ready to respond positively to the new born, particularly it is historically abided with Catholicism, bearing in mind that the new born, namely Islam, has about 5 million Muslims plus 2 million of the Muslims holding the French nationality. This number can in reality affect the presidency elections; it did so actually when Jack Chirac won his presidency by a difference of 7.2 % against his competitor. Furthermore, we affected the legislative and parliamentary elections.

The Saudi Support

The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a vital role in supporting the Islamic action in the west. No Muslim, especially the leaders of the Islamic action in France, can ignore the traditional role played by the Kingdom in backing the Islamic action, whether on the financial level through establishing the Islamic organizations and centers throughout Europe and France in particular, or on the political level through its voice in the international conferences and assemblies. In general, the Saudi role in backing the French Muslim community is a thanked and wanted one.