After a months-long battle with French education authorities, the second Islamic high school opened Monday for Muslim students in the eastern city of Lyon.
Al-Kindi private school, named after a ninth-century Arab scholar, opened its doors for about 20 students in the sixth grade only.
Officials say the school will eventually cater to 140 students aged 11 to 16, making it the largest Muslim school in France.
Last month, the school obtained a permission to open after the French Higher Education Council (CSE) overruled a decision by the Lyon education board, which rejected the opening of the school last September, claiming that there were concerns over safety issues.
The board also expressed concerns about the teaching and management credentials of the team behind the project.
But the CSE dismissed the board’s concerns.
"We are very pleased, this is going to soothe tensions. The judiciary has enabled us to reach a compromise. We will continue like this, in full respect for the laws of the Republic," Rachid Guergour, head of the Lyon Mosque, told reporters outside the school.
"I will cry victory when I see our students' results in the high-school exams… This is what matters," added Hakim Chergui, deputy head of the Al-Kindi association which is in charge of the project.
Reports say the school, which costs around 1,200 euros per child each year, will receive financial support from France's Muslim community and will cost about 700,000 euros per year to operate.
Officials say the school will follow the French national curriculum, with an optional two hours of classes on Islamic culture.
"I was very disappointed by the public system. Here the teaching is of a higher quality, with a better structure. We hope it becomes an elite school," said Tarek Bejaoui, walking his daughter Zayneb to Al-Kindi school.
France's first Islamic high school opened in the northeast Paris suburb of Aubervilliers in 2001, and now caters to around 100 pupils. A second followed in 2003 in the northern city of Lille and currently has 80 students.
Many Muslim parents in France prefer Islamic private schools because they ensure that their children are taught the proper teachings of Islam.
Others believe that Muslim schools would allow female students to wear the Islamic headscarf after French authorities imposed a 2004 ban on religious symbols, including the Hijab, in public schools.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in France, which hosts Europe’s largest Muslim population, with more than 4.5 million Muslims who make up about 7 percent of the country’s total population.
-- AJP and Agencies
Al-Kindi private school, named after a ninth-century Arab scholar, opened its doors for about 20 students in the sixth grade only.
Officials say the school will eventually cater to 140 students aged 11 to 16, making it the largest Muslim school in France.
Last month, the school obtained a permission to open after the French Higher Education Council (CSE) overruled a decision by the Lyon education board, which rejected the opening of the school last September, claiming that there were concerns over safety issues.
The board also expressed concerns about the teaching and management credentials of the team behind the project.
But the CSE dismissed the board’s concerns.
"We are very pleased, this is going to soothe tensions. The judiciary has enabled us to reach a compromise. We will continue like this, in full respect for the laws of the Republic," Rachid Guergour, head of the Lyon Mosque, told reporters outside the school.
"I will cry victory when I see our students' results in the high-school exams… This is what matters," added Hakim Chergui, deputy head of the Al-Kindi association which is in charge of the project.
Reports say the school, which costs around 1,200 euros per child each year, will receive financial support from France's Muslim community and will cost about 700,000 euros per year to operate.
Officials say the school will follow the French national curriculum, with an optional two hours of classes on Islamic culture.
"I was very disappointed by the public system. Here the teaching is of a higher quality, with a better structure. We hope it becomes an elite school," said Tarek Bejaoui, walking his daughter Zayneb to Al-Kindi school.
France's first Islamic high school opened in the northeast Paris suburb of Aubervilliers in 2001, and now caters to around 100 pupils. A second followed in 2003 in the northern city of Lille and currently has 80 students.
Many Muslim parents in France prefer Islamic private schools because they ensure that their children are taught the proper teachings of Islam.
Others believe that Muslim schools would allow female students to wear the Islamic headscarf after French authorities imposed a 2004 ban on religious symbols, including the Hijab, in public schools.
Islam is the fastest growing religion in France, which hosts Europe’s largest Muslim population, with more than 4.5 million Muslims who make up about 7 percent of the country’s total population.
-- AJP and Agencies
