PARIS — France's first Islamic government-backed institute will open in October in the northern city of Lille to counter the rising Islamophobia phenomenon and groom qualified imams and preachers.
"The need was so pressing to have such an institute to counter prevailing Islamophobia," the institute's dean Mohammad El-Beshari told IslamOnline.net.
"The institute, which is affiliated to the University of Lille, will project the tolerant image and openness of Islam," added Beshari, also the deputy head of the French Council for Muslim Faith (CFCM).
He said the Muslim minority, estimated at some six millions, were in a dire need to have such an educational establishment.
The institute is co-financed by the French and Qatari governments and its premises are donated by Lille Municipality.
In July of 2003, the French government approved the establishment of Ibn Rushd school in Lille, which became the first secondary Muslim school in France.
Muslims make up about 25 percent of Lille's one million population.
Diverse
Beshari said the institute welcomes diversity among its students, noting that it would admit both Muslim and non-Muslims interested in studying Islamic civilization and culture.
Mohammed Al-Mistiri, the academic supervisor, said the mainly teaches Islamic civilization, culture, history in addition to the principles of Islamic jurisprudence.
"The history of secularism in France and its relation with religions is also another major," he added.
Mistiri said the institute offers specialized courses for Muslim imams and preachers working in prisons, the Army and hospitals.
"This falls in line with the government drive to encourage homegrown imams."
Daw Meskine, the imam of the Clichy-Sous-Bois mosque and the secretary general of the French Council of Imams, welcomed the new institute.
"There is a possibility of cooperation between the institute and the council," he told IOL.
The new institute is named after one of the greatest scientists in Islamic history, Ibn Sina.
A physician, philosopher and scientist who was born in 980 in modern-day Uzbekistan, Ibn Sina authored 450 books on a wide range of subjects.
His most famous works are The Book of Healing and The Canon of Medicine, also known as the Qanun.
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