French Muslim Council Condemns ’Discriminatory’ Closure of Mosque Bank Accounts

A week after the alert from the Council of Mosques of the Rhône (CMR), the CFCM also denounced the seriousness of the situation, deploring decisions taken "in an authoritarian manner" that place the mosques "in a precarious situation, when no offense justifying such an act has been reported".

According to the institution, "it would seem that cash payments would be the main cause of these closures. Yet these payments come from the collections organized during the Friday prayer and the month of Ramadan in particular".

However, it noted, "without these donations from the faithful, many mosques would not be able to cover their operating expenses. It should be remembered that this type of collection is not unique to the Muslim faith alone".

Faced with growing concern, the CFCM has invited the public authorities to "put an end to this unjustified situation". "Proposals for good practices for collecting donations that could improve mutual trust between Muslim associations and banking institutions" will be made in the coming days to association leaders, the note concluded.