France to Phase Out Foreign-Appointed Imams by 2024, Macron Announces

"We are working on the end of detached imams in 2024," said French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner on RFI on Wednesday, February 19. "I have indicated to the foreign countries, which are the countries of origin - Morocco, Turkey and Algeria - that the deadline is 2024," he said, especially since those who are there and who are arriving have a three-year residence permit.

Christophe Castaner will specify that the number of reciters received each year during Ramadan will be reduced from the next Ramadan in April. The Interior Minister’s statement comes a day after the announcement made by President Emmanuel Macron on the subject.

On Tuesday, President Emmanuel Macron announced, in a speech against "Islamist separatism" in Mulhouse, the gradual end in France of the system of detached imams (about 300 imams) who serve in France and are paid by foreign countries. According to AFP, he also announced increased control of foreign financing of places of worship, in order to be able to block suspicious projects. "We must know where the money comes from, who receives it and for what purpose," insisted the President of the French Republic.

Emmanuel Macron also intends to end the teaching of languages and cultures (ELCO) from the next school year. These are courses taught by teachers sent by other countries (Algeria, Croatia, Spain, Italy, Morocco, Portugal, Serbia, Tunisia and Turkey), without control by the national education system. In total, 80,000 students benefit from them.

"We cannot teach things that are clearly incompatible either with the laws of the Republic or with the history as we see it," the French president said.