Imams with foreign diplomas are prohibited from working in France

The French government has banned foreign-educated imams from working in the country.

The French government has banned foreign-educated and foreign-funded imams from working in the country. This is reported by IslamNews .

Officials first discussed the restrictions four years ago, but the ban officially came into effect on January 1, 2024. Thus, Muslim leaders with foreign diplomas and foreign salaries could no longer work in France's 2,900 mosques.

The head of the French Ministry of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, sent a letter about this to the governments of a number of Muslim countries that traditionally finance the activities of imams and mosques in Europe. According to Darmanin, such bans are necessary to limit foreign religious influences and ensure that religious values are in line with the "principles of the republic."

As of 2020, about 300 mosque imams in France were paid by Muslim countries such as Algeria, Morocco, and Turkey.