PARIS, December 2 (IslamOnline.net) - Most French imams lack the necessary religious, social and legal background to carry on with their duties, said a French Muslim scholar.

“No more than 10 per cent of imams are religiously qualified for the job,” Daw Meskine, Secretary General of the French council for imams, told IslamOnline.net.

He also admitted that some imams are unfamiliar with the social culture and laws of the French society.

“Institutes must develop its social, cultural, legal and religious curricula so as to help imams play their hoped-for role.”

Formed in March and supervised by the Interior Ministry, the said committee aims at setting up an institute that will not only train imams but also organize courses for journalists and judges to know more about Islam.

Meskine, however, said the idea of a sole institute to be in charge of training imams has proved to be a failure.

He also proposed organizing training courses for imams on religion and humanities as frequently as possible, he added.

“All other secular proposals to educate imams according to the French state vision would not solve the problem. Imams must be educated on true religious bases.”

The French council for imams, the biggest umbrella body for Muslim imams in France, was established in April 1992 with the ultimate goal of closing Muslim ranks. It groups some 475 of France’s 1200 imams.

Meskine described as discriminatory the expulsion of Muslim imams from the European country, saying similar actions have never been taken against followers of other faiths.

“France is a state of law. When a politician, media man or any other professional commits a mistake, he/she is not expelled. When an imam makes a mistake he must be put on trial.”

He stressed that no imam should be expelled before being given the right to stand a fair trial.

Meskine also supported a proposal to invite imams from Arab and Muslim countries to France, despite the government’s opposition.

“Young imams from some Islamic countries are more understanding of the French society than some who were burn in France.”

He called on the authorities to allow qualified people, whether French or foreigners, to serve as imams.

Meskine expressed opposition to any intervention by the French Council for Muslim Faith (CFCM) in training imams.

“The council is not made up of scholars but rather heads of Muslim societies and groups.”

He also considered as impractical allowing the European Council for Fatwa and Research to play a role in educating Muslim imams in the European countries.

The issue of educating imams, especially in France, raises many questions when it comes to dealing with foreign bodies.

“The proposal to educate Muslim imams was put forward by the French authorities mainly to avoid foreign influence on French imams,” Meskine said.

That is why training imams should be undertaken by French Islamic bodies, he added.

The issue of imams training has recently taken central stage in several European countries.