European imams come together for three days to fight radicalization in Europe

From 17 to 20 February, the first meeting between the imams of Europe took place in Paris to find solutions and fight against radicalization in European prisons but also among civil society of Muslim origin in Europe but also against radicalization and the dissemination of terrorist information through the digital system.

Friday 20 February at 6.15 p.m., a press conference where the Imam of Drancy, Hassen Chalghoumi, was held to announce all the decisions taken during this conference, in particular on the fight against radicalization in Europe.

« Within two weeks, a white paper will be printed where there will be many subjects, proposals, material to build a work plan, and this book will be given to the President of the Republic and to the European Union » a he clarified.

The first imported point brought to the discussion was radicalization by the digital system: around 60 to 70% of information material concerning radicalization but also recovery is on the Internet. the second point is that of the training of imams in Europe, for example in Germany, Belgium, Italy …:

« We face the same problems, perhaps more in France because the number of Muslim members is higher than in other countries, but we all have the same problems, concerning political or Salafist Islam, which pushes a lot especially among young people to adhere to Islamic radicalization.
The training of imams must be based on the theological reference that we want to build in order to stop all foreign radicalized references.
Training of mediators should be considered, taking into account the situation of young people who have been recruited by radicalism in Syria (around 5,000-7,000 people): « We have therefore decided to set up this system of training mediators of faith Muslim to succeed in getting in touch with young people, in neighborhoods of all European countries, in order to fight against radicalization and adherence to Islamization (almost 30% of young people have converted to radicalization) « .

After discussions, the date of the second European meeting has been set for next year in Brussels at the European Parliament in the spring. It will serve to concretize the work of combating radicalization and terrorism, a crucial point linked to the suffering of terrorist attacks.

« I am very touched by the declaration of President Emmanuel Macron, who delivered his speech on the same day as the start of the symposium of the imams of Europe, our ideas of fighting radicalization in France and in Europe converge. This speech is crucial, because we are talking about the separation and destruction of the values ​​of religious Islam by the separatists, this minority wants to distance us from society and impose their ideas in one way or another, through their ideology, in any case for women and girls, by forcing them to wear the veil, which leads to separatism but also to a general communitarianism created by the Islamist idea, « he expressed Hassen Chalghoumi.

detached Islam is a moderate Islam, considered as a free Islam but which respects the secularism required in France and desired even in Europe because of the events experienced in the last 10 years, in particular following the attacks of 2015 in Paris, as well as ‘in Belgium and Germany.

The first point to emphasize is the education of young people and their integration; these are points which build a healthy society, in which each imam believes that he has a determined role to give, a healthy religious base but also education, a solid and informative structure in society, for this it is good to keep in mind that among young people there is an ignorance of those who separate from modern society.

President Emmanuel Macron stressed in Mulhouse during his declaration that a sensitive point for the Muslim community was the funding of the creation of a mosque but also the social symbol of the Muslim population on French territory, concerning the commitment of the government succeed in fighting radicalization of young people.

The imams discussed the problems encountered in each city where the strategy begins with dialogue with the mayor or politicians to create social and cultural diversity; the issue of housing is an obstacle to the construction of a social and cultural system between ethnic groups, in terms of diversity between homes and schools, points of dialogue for decisive integration and the construction of a healthy society.

Imams are calling for a decision by European governments to end foreign funding which leads to radicalization but also to the imbalance of modern society. Mr. Hassen Chalghoumi, stressed that the President of the French Republic will have to show a strong determination to stop any foreign funding that could lead to radicalization.

In the « white paper », there will be proposals for a united and stable Europe, to fight radicalization, but also a basic structure concerning Islam as well as the formation and status of an imam, but also the theological reference, like what was said during the three days concerning the stability of an Islam in the future, the dream of the imams of France being the fight against tragic events like what happened on Wednesday evening in Germany and could happen all over Europe.

This crime was perpetuated by the extreme right and « the extreme nourishes the extreme » as underlines the imam of Drancy. This could lead to an amalgamation, fear of Islam, fear of Muslims and damage the image of every immigrant in Europe.

Nine people were killed on Wednesday night in two shootings targeting hookah bars in Hanau, near Frankfurt in Germany. This is a German citizen, Tobias R., 43 years old, holder of a shooting license, the German police announced this Thursday morning that he had been found dead at his home in Hanau.

The alleged perpetrator of the double shooting left a letter in which he expresses far-right positions, Bild reported on Thursday morning on his website. The German newspaper said it also left a video in which it claimed responsibility for the attacks. According to Peter Neumann, a terrorism specialist at King’s College London, who read the letter, it was indeed a « 24-page manifesto » testifying to a « hatred of foreigners and non-whites » .

In his speech, Mr. Hassen Chalgoumi denounces discrimination, hatred and the extremist minority of radicalization to terrorism: « I think that our fight against radicalization today is important, considering that today we are a few steps away of « Bataclan », theater of a bloody attack, lived 5 years ago in the 11th arrt of Paris, François Vauglin, mayor of the arrondissement was present to support and participate in this three-day event during which the themes against radicalism in France as in Europe, have been debated.

After the press conference, a dinner hosted many political and religious figures, writers, the 60 imams of Europe but also the investigating judge at the Paris tribunal de grande instance at the anti-terrorism pole, Marc Trévidic who ruled in the case of the Copernic Street attack (October 3, 1980).

Among the guests, there were former ministers Eric Woerth, Xavier Bertrand, Bernard Kouchner, Joël Mergui, President of the Consistory, Francis Kalifat, President of Crif, Haïm Korsia, Chief Rabbi of France, the writer Marek Halter, … etc.

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Gabriel MIHAI

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