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Many young French Muslims cram into the mosque for the Tarawih prayers to listen to the Egyptian imam. |
PARIS — Young French Muslims flock everyday during the holy fasting month of Ramadan to the Zeitouna mosque in eastern Paris to perform Tarawih prayer led by an Egyptian imam, one of a few foreign imams allowed into the European country.
"I have come all the way to listen to the sweet and heaven-like voice of this imam," Reda, 23, told IslamOnline.net Thursday, October 5, while stepping into the mosque.
Reda was among hundreds of French Muslims lining up piously behind imam Mohammad Gharam during the Tarawih prayers.
Many French Muslims of the second and third generations are among the hundreds of worshippers, though they do not understand Arabic.
"I traveled around 30km and switched trains pray behind imam Gharam," Mahdi Belayech said.
Young French Muslims see imams as a sign of their Islamic identity.
"I feel like I'm traveling back to my parent's homeland whenever I hear the imam's recitation of the Noble Qur'an," said Belayech.
"I feel my Islamic identity while listening to him though I don't understand Arabic."
"He is coming from the heart of the Muslim world," he said of the imam who was dispatched by the Cairo-based Al-Azhar Al-Sharif, the highest religious authority and the prestigious seat of learning in the Sunni Muslim world.
France is home to some 5-6 million Muslims, making up the biggest Muslim minority in Europe.
Difficult Task
The Egyptian imam is among a few foreign scholars allowed into France to lead the prayers during the holy fasting month.
"Bringing the Egyptian imam into the country was not an easy task," said Sheikh Abdul-Kader al-Wanisee, the head of the Islamic Cultural Centre.
"We have encountered many difficulties, particularly in light of the ongoing climate of suspicion raised about foreign imams in France."
The Egyptian imam was first denied visa by the French embassy in Cairo.
"But after intervention of Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy, he was granted entry along with another imam who now leads the prayers at a mosque run by the Union of Islamic Associations," added Wanisee.
For years, French mosques used to invite imams from Muslim countries to lead the prayers during the holy fasting month.
The Paris mosque, for example, is used to bringing 30 imams from Algeria during Ramadan.
"There are no enough imams to cope with the increasing numbers of mosques in France," Wanisee said.
There are 1,685 mosques and prayer rooms in the European country, according to a tally by the French interior ministry.
"Therefore, we find no other option but to bring imams from abroad," he added.
The issue of imams has recently taken a central stage in France and other European countries.
The French government has put forward an initiative to educate newcomers about the history of secularism in France.
German Integration Minister Marieluise Beck has further released a 20-point strategy recommending that imams coming to Germany should have knowledge of the German language and society. |
