25 November 2015

Call to force imams to give sermons in French

Imams in France's mosques should deliver all their sermons in French to help stop the spread of extremism, politicians on both sides of the French political spectrum argue.

With France in shock after the November 13th terror attacks in Paris, politicians on both the left and right are calling for Imams in the country’s mosques to preach their sermons in French only.

With some mosques considered to be breeding grounds for extremism, those politicians in favour of the move want the centres of worship brought under closer control.

Among the supporters of such a change is the Socialist politician Julien Dray, a former spokesperson for French President François Hollande and co-founder of the group SOS Racism.

“You have to be careful with the sermons of imams,” Dray, a councillor in the Île-de-France region since 1998, told French radio network RTL. “The fact that prayers are in Arabic is understandable, but it’s important the sermons are in French,” he said.

“In the Jewish religion, the sermons are in French and the prayers are in Hebrew. The sermon – that’s where the message is delivered. It has to be in French,” he added. [The Local] Read more