French Authorities Concerned as Untrained Online Preachers Gain Massive Following

The imams of France are angry against the 2.0 religious guides, self-proclaimed preachers on social networks and who are followed by thousands, even millions of subscribers, reports Le Parisien. "Someone who says: You will know everything about life by listening to an imam, you have to turn off the screen. It’s nonsense!" fumes Hicham, an imam in the Paris region for ten years. According to him, these online preachers "do not adapt their discourse to the changes in society". "They are more influencers. In general, they have not followed any theological studies," observes Mohammed, an imam in the Paris suburbs.

With their rigid discourses on "halal" or "haram", these 2.0 religious guides annoy the regularly trained imams who preach in person in the mosques. Redazere for example, a preacher followed by 3.2 million subscribers on his social networks, calls for no longer posting on makeup, explaining that the Prophet cursed "women who resemble men" and "men who resemble women". He also asks women not to marry men who do not pray.

Young people are crazy about these videos from the 2.0 guides, a way for them to "educate themselves about Islam," explains Dounia, a Muslim who does not wear a veil. But in reality, do these online preachers address "subjects that concern young people: marriage, sex, appearance" to recruit followers?, wonders Hicham. Mohamed "doubts the effectiveness" of this method, because he believes, "young people mature and turn away from it". But the phenomenon is growing and worrying the authorities who are convinced that "these influencers are a key part of the gear towards radicality," as Christian Gravel, secretary general of the Interministerial Committee for the Prevention of Delinquency and Radicalization (CIPDR), recently attested.