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Europeans: The Grand Mosque of Paris warns against the far right

by AI | 22.May 2024 | Europe in brief AI

The Great Mosque of Paris, an important institution of Muslims in France, warned on Wednesday against the rise of the far right as the European elections approach.

The French-Algerian lawyer Chems-eddine Hafiz, rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, attends a meeting between President Emmanuel Macron and French religious leaders at the Elysée, on November 13, 2023. (Photo: Ludovic MARIN / AFP)

Paris – The rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Chems-eddine Hafiz, called on the Muslims of France to vote against the far right in the European elections of June 9, but also to avoid the “spirit of self-isolation”.

“As French and Muslims, it is our duty to actively participate in the European and national elections to “strengthen our democracy” and “promote values of justice, equality, and solidarity,”

He expresses his “serious concerns” about the rise of the far right, whose potential victory could have “particularly severe” consequences for Muslims, “ranging from an increase in Islamophobic acts and discrimination to the tightening of restrictive laws targeting religious and cultural practices.”

He also laments “certain tendencies” that “in a spirit of self-isolation and strict communitarianism, claim that a Muslim cannot elect a non-Muslim.” (22.05.2024)