Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Great Mosque of Paris. Courtesy: AFP/Aurore Marechal
The November 14 Paris attacks that killed 130 persons, fast on the heels of the Baghdad and Beirut bombings that also cost many lives, have, once again raised questions within the fold of Islam. Earlier this year, Dr Tawfik Hamid an Egyptian scholar famously wrote “From the heart of an honest Muslim” which he began with, "I am a Muslim by faith, a Christian by spirit, a Jew by heart, and above all I am a human being."
Islamic leaders and scholars are risking lives and seeking strongly, a reformation within Islam, some even saying that the political content needs to go and the compassionate and just part, emphasised. Closer home, Mumbai to Kerala, Delhi to Lucknow clerics and leaders have been sending a strong and similar message.
(Preachers denounce ISIS in Friday sermons,
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31804&articlexml=Preachers-to-denounce-ISIS-in-Friday-sermons-27112015011025 and In war against IS, clerics to add 1k Instagram accounts, FB pages
http://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/in-war-against-is-clerics-to-add-1k-instagram-accounts-fb-pages/
In January this year, the rector of the main mosque in Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, speaking to the CNN had reverted from the French to English to make his point. He said that Islam has to reform. There is a need to take out the political content of Islam and the compassionate part emphasised.
In the early days of Communalism Combat when it was published in a tabloid format, we had met Dalil Boubakeur in Paris who had spoken to us of the difficult role he has had to play, teaching tolerance and respect for the belief of others to his people and struggling for the rights of a migrant Muslim population, victim of both racial and religious prejudice, on the other. This account was published in November 1997 and we reproduce it here for the benefit of our readers to help contextualise a difficult and painful issue.
(sub head) Fighting phobia, teaching tolerance
(Intro) As head of the Muslim clergy in France, a country where phobia against Islam and its followers is on the rise, the rector of the Muslim Institute and the Mosque of Paris, Dalil Boubakeur, has a difficult double role to play: teaching tolerance and respect for the belief of others to his people and struggling for the rights of a migrant Muslim population in France which is a victim of both racial and religious prejudice. Excerpts:
The role of religion, religious heads and religious institutions in a secular state are indeed complex. France is a democratic country where secularism and human rights are of prime concern to the state. All religions in turn respect the state. We are not to interfere in the political business of the state just as the state and its administration does not interfere in matters of faith.
In 1905, France passed a law making a formal separation between religion and state. For Islam, a new religion in France, also a religion of the migrant community, to realise and maintain this equation is not easy. Christianity and Judaism have reached an equilibrium after co-existing with the state for hundreds of years when Islam was not here in France. They have their churches, their synagogues. They have consolidated their institutions, the Church has for long had a sophisticated organization.
Islam came here much later and was, therefore, always considered an “outside” religion of the migrant worker whose focus of worship and religion was, in turn, “outside” the nation. The mosque of the Muslim worker was in Africa, their religious feast was in Africa, their women were in north Africa.
Only men from the community first came here to work. Families arrived much later after the French government enacted a law, the Familie Rapprochement Act through which families were allowed entry. After the families came, population grew and there has been a demographic explosion since the 1970s.
This caused a revolution in the suburbs of the cities of France and the authorities coped by building buildings, kilometers of them, “quick” buildings, to accommodate the growing numbers. These were buildings without any social, human or cultural dimensions. Outside Paris and Lyon, these buildings look like barracks. This was not good. As the young grew up or came to France, they found little or nothing to welcome them.
Also, Islam had to make specific adjustments to integrate because the French constitution relates to the individual, with no concessions to communities of people or religious communities. All of us must integrate into the general population. This is very important and I think, very natural. If a country relates to different nationalities within its geographical area, say Italian, Indian, Spanish, whatever, what you will get is a splintered image of the mirror and no unified image will be visible.
There is no priority given here to anyone. No distinction in the application of laws is made, as long as you are a French citizen. Polygamy, female circumcision and other such practices are downright illegal here.
Now, is the French state genuinely secular towards all, especially migrants? Or does it have a bias? While the theory of secularism and the secular state exists, in reality there are many human problems. Muslims here, are poor, disadvantaged, the migrant working population is ignorant of the systems of law and the principles of secularism that operate here. Hence, they find it extremely difficult to adapt.
They assume, for instance, that expenses of their mosques, the salary for the imams, land for cemeteries will come from the state, little realizing that it requires legislation. A law needs to be enacted to give salaries to any section of the clergy, a law is needed to grant a piece of land for a mosque.
The question of Muslims and Islam in France is linked critically to the immigrant problem. The March 1996 amendment in French immigration law has titled the balance against immigrants, and is even being used to victimise people. As rector of the Paris Mosque, our role as mediators between our community and the state is very sensitive in this political situation.
There are economic difficulties faced by a disadvantaged migrant community, for whom there are little facilities. Then, there are many imams (preachers) who, coming from Africa, from a different background, who don’t always have a message of tolerance or the message for the good and wise voyage of the Muslim in this life. This is largely because there is a very low level of secular education for many of our imams: traditionally, they are just taught the Holy Scriptures.
In all these contexts, our role is crucial. The Mosque, of Paris has made all efforts to train 130 “good” imams, to give a religious, non-political, spiritual message to followers: to realise their ideals through education, good conduct and behaviour: to be a good Muslim, respecting all religions, other people’s beliefs, men of other religions, and above all respecting the state they are living in. This is critical for co-existence between different religions.
The financial upkeep of the imam, mosque and other religious institutions remains an ongoing difficulty. The imam is a religious man with a family, with childen, he too needs social security, where does it come from? The social service cell of the Paris Mosque is thus very active. We organise health camps, special camps for some Muslim migrants in prison. There are about 40-50 persons, including women, who are involved in the social service leagues that collaborate with the 20 mosques in Paris.
The only problem that we face are financial. We are trying to make adjustments through money generating activities like running a cafe, hamaam (public bath); there is also donation from visitors, income from the conferences that we hold.
The question of Muslims and Islam in France is linked critically to the immigrant problem. The March 1996 amendment in French immigration law has titled the balance against immigrants, and is even being used to victimise people. As rector of the Paris Mosque, our role as mediators between our community and the state is very sensitive in this political situation.
Things are very difficult now because the recent amendments, have not only stopped immigration but also placed severe restrictions on access to means of livelihood. In this scenario, it is our hope that Muslim people will behave with responsibility for only then will the negative attitude against them reduce. For example, if they don’t terrorise people in the suburbs, the negative image people have against the migrant population will slowly disappear. As rector of the Paris Mosque in this situation, I inspire the community against bad examples of terrorism and preach non-violence. The Friday sermon is a message of peace, non-violence, a lesson to Muslims on how to behave as good citizens.
We know that the number of Muslims here is high and an upswing in racist or xenophobic attitudes can only be tackled if our community listens to us and makes conscious efforts to respect the law, to enjoy rights just as all other French people do. We hope that there never is a “Muslim problem” in France.
The French national commission for women has been looking into the question of representation of Muslim women, as all others, in the different professions. The Mosque of Paris, also hopes in future to be the voice of Muslim women and seeks to represent their cause in France to the government.
Other related questions arise. In France, Muslim women and men who are French citizens have to live under French law, not the Shariah. This does not affect their religious laws and practices, however. As long as basic principles of law are maintained, there should be no problem in following other laws laid down by the nation state.
As the rector of the Mosque of Paris, in a country that sets store by its secular foundations equality of all religions – I agree that the primary French law should apply to all communities. Our religious practices are never interfered with, anyway. When it comes to marriage, for example, we first have to register then perform the nikaah ceremony. In case of any dispute, they go before the French Tribunal.
Women have a separate space to pray within the Paris Mosque. They move around freely, no one controls of directs their movements. Freedom is the first principle of Islam for women. Some come with only a scarf, that is their right. We prefer that the heads of the faithful be covered as a sign of respect within the mosque. But outside, all Muslims are free to dress as they choose. No one inside will try and dictate or control their behaviour outside. They are free to do wear what they want, work wherever they like.
We recognise that women have much more capacities and capability than only that of the homemaker, though of course this is also important. In France we find Muslim women generally showing great aptitude for academics and have a particular talent in the field of diplomacy.
Crucial for any community is the nature and quality of the institutions it generates. The mosque is meant to be the veritable hub, the centre of the community just like the first mosque of Islam at Madina was. The first statutes of Islam, the relationship between Jews and Christians, issues or war and peace, etc., were all deliberated upon inside the Madina mosque soon after it was constructed.
The mosque of Paris, built in 1922, has a curious history. It was established first in recognition of the sacrifices of Muslims in the service of the French nation during the First World War. In the late 19th century (1870), many Muslim groups were active in France. Again, 1914, when France mobilised soldiers from Algeria, Morocco, Senegal and Tunisia it was the second major participation of Muslims in the French national struggle.
This painting that has its pride of place behind the rector’s chair in the mosque here depicts Muslims fighters from north Africa meeting French diplomats.
The design of the Paris mosque was also thoughtfully and approximately chosen. It is an amalgamation of the best of all the existing architectural traditions. It is both an Islamic institute open to everybody and a mosque.
(As told to Teesta Setalvad, co-editor of Communalism Combat and published in the Ethos section of the issue, November 1997)