Macron Strikes Deal with Saudi Arabia to Fund Imam Training in France

In his speech in Les Mureaux, French President had declared that "the structuring of the Hajj pilgrimage will provide the necessary funding for the training of imams in France. We have conducted a very large-scale work with Saudi Arabia to regulate it." This statement, buried in the flood against "Islamist separatism," is the result of discreet discussions over the past three years, reports L’Opinion.

Since 2018, Emmanuel Macron and Mohammed bin Salman have been considering building "a real common strategy" around the pilgrimage of the French to Mecca. Each year, 20,000 to 25,000 people undertake the great pilgrimage (Hajj) and nearly 800,000 the small pilgrimage (Umrah). This constitutes an important source of income, knowing that the price has increased, even doubled in ten years.

The cost of the circuit for this pilgrimage (the purchase of the plane ticket, the hotel, the transportation in the buses and nights under tent) varies between 5,500 and 7,000 euros, or 30 to 50% more expensive than in Germany, Belgium or England. A real business that is done in the shadows.

"The demand exceeds the quota of visas granted by the Saudi Ministry of Pilgrimage," explained a connoisseur of the file. In addition "the Hajj constitutes an annuity, since it is the fifth pillar of Islam, to be accomplished once in one’s life," he added, not forgetting the flock of intermediaries who profit from it from the travel agency to the local guide, notes the same source.