French Muslims Name Head of Paris Mosque

05/05/2003| IslamWeb

Muslim leaders have named the director of the Mosque of Paris to lead a new committee representing Islam's diverse factions in France. Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Mosque of Paris, had been expected to win the post based on a December agreement by Muslim leaders. After a vote, the 60-member body on Sunday officially confirmed his post and those of 16 others on a leadership committee. The group is intended to serve as a link between the French government and Muslim leaders. Islam is the second largest religion in France, after Roman Catholicism. About five million people in France are Muslim out of a population of 60 million. Until now, France's Muslims have been led by diverse groups, associations and federations backed variously by Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia - former French colonies. Boubakeur faced a setback when Muslim leaders held an election for the committee in April and he had a weak performance, winning fewer seats than two other parties. A Muslim party made an unexpectedly strong showing in the April vote. The Union of Islamic Organizations of France is inspired by Egypt's banned Muslim Brotherhood. A slightly less conservative party close to Morocco also won more seats than Boubakeur's moderate, Algerian-backed Mosque of Paris, which had been considered the favorite. After discussion, the leaders agreed to honor the earlier agreement on Boubakeur's leadership. The committee met for the first time this weekend. Previous efforts to form such a body have failed because of internal differences. **PHOTO CAPTION*** Paris mosque, France (Kareem Mouline)