Collecting For Islam

In October 2006, I posted an article on the Machelon Report, a study on the needs of the Muslim community of France. The report, commissioned by then Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, concluded that the needs were not being met and exceptional measures were called for, especially in the funding and building of mosques and "cultural centers". Among these measures was a system of long-term leases on public properties where mosques could be built at taxpayers' expense, thus violating the 1905 law separating Church and State.

Now the French government has created a new Islamic institution called the Foundation for Charitable Works for Islam of France (Fondation des oeuvres de l'Islam de France). Current Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie assured her support for this institution a few weeks ago when she attended the breaking of the Ramadan fast at the Paris mosque. Joachim Véliocras writing at his website Observatoire de l'Islamisation describes how it functions:

As of Tuesday October 16, 2007, the Foundation of Charitable Works of Islam of France is officially installed.

Its role?

According to Dominique de Villepin (former prime minister), in a speech announcing the project, in March 2005:

"To make available buildings and land at a symbolic rent, by means of extended long-term leases; to grant guaranteed loans for the construction of religious sites; to exempt from certain taxes the religious sites and the associations that run them." It is to be noted that the Machelon report, commissioned by Nicolas Sarkozy, suggests (on page 19) that those mayors who refuse the practice of long-term leases (a practice secretly legalized by UMP through an ordinance in April 2006) be referred to the administrative judge.

Note: This means that anyone who "puts up a fuss" about ceding public land to a mosque will be sued in court!

A reminder that UMP is Sarkozy's party. I have no details on how they pushed through secret legislation. I do know that the use of long-term leases is now almost an everyday occurrence.

Its means?

The Foundation receives funds from anonymous donors, often foreigners. "The monarchies of the Gulf have sent positive signals," reported Cécilia Gabizon in the Figaro of March 2005. As of today one million euros have been collected. The French citizens, however, are not entitled to know the exact origin of these funds, even though THEY are the proprietors of the public coffers (Caisse des dépôts)! On October 13, 2007 Figaro reported the remarks of an anonymous functionary who revealed another means of financing by French businesses in exchange for good relations with their clients on the Arab peninsula.

Is the Wahhabi Middle East the Foundation's first donor? That is quite possible: on Tuesday, October 8, 2002, Nicolas Sarkozy officially greeted the general secretary of the World Islamic League, Abdallah Turki. The official communiqué from the Interior Ministry, cited in the Figaro of September 10, 2002 states:

"The financial support from the World Islamic League to aid the practice of the Muslim religion is possible." Then, as if to balance the scales, it adds that it is on condition that the League not attempt to control the objects that it finances. But how likely is it that mosques dependent on a Saudi source for their funding would criticize Wahhabism?

Its organization?

Le Monde, in its October 16, 2007 edition informs us:

"A high official from the ministry of the interior, a specialist in Islam, will fill the duties of director general beside the president, Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the grand Mosque of Paris. (...) In order to keep things on an even keel among the various components of French Islam, the participants decided, on October 15, to create a rotating presidency, and to appoint, in two years, Fouad Alaoui to head of the Foundation."

Note: Fouad Alaoui is currently vice-president of the UOIF (Union of Islamic Organizations of France) which is closely affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood.

It is becoming increasingly difficult to keep up with the Muslim organizations that proliferate in France, and I long ago gave up trying to count the mosques.

The above article shows that money has been coming in from foreign countries for a number of years for the construction of mosques. Sarkozy initiated many fund-raising efforts while he was still Interior Minister. Now, as president, he can give official form to these conduits with this new Foundation.

Just by way of review, Galliawatch has posted these articles (among many) on related topics:

Machelon Report

Sarkozy's Religion

Funding Religion

Season of Ramadan

Alliot-Marie Makes Three

Readers of French can consult this article from Le Monde, posted at the Islam and Laïcité website.

And finally, this French-language article from Saphir News is unusual in that the Muslim who wrote it asks his Muslim brethren to reject the new Foundation, in the name of laïcité.