In 2013, “Ibn Rushd” School was chosen as one of the top high schools in France among dozens of Islamic schools. It managed to achieve a 100% success rate in the Baccalauréat exams. However, this did not exempt it from the war waged by French authorities against what they consider “Islam incompatible with the principles of the secular Republic.”
With the beginning of 2024, the French government decided to cut off its funding to “Ibn Rushd,” the largest Islamic high school founded in 2003 in the northern city of Lille, citing “administrative failures and questionable educational practices,” according to authorities’ decision.
“Ibn Rushd” High School is one among a group of Islamic schools in France affected by President Emmanuel Macron’s crackdown on Muslims in the country. Reuters reported on Monday, June 3, 2024, that five Islamic schools in France have been closed during Macron’s tenure.
This report sheds light on the history of Islamic schools in France, why many Muslims in the country have turned to them for their children’s education, and how Macron’s decisions targeting Islam have impacted their existence.
Islamic Schools in France
The first Islamic schools in France were established in 1947 in La Réunion, a French department in the Indian Ocean. Initially, they taught a complete religious program in addition to the French National Education curriculum.
Reports indicate that the oldest institution established on the mainland of France is the “La plume” school in the city of Grenoble in southeastern France, founded in 2001.
According to French statistical agency data, approximately 6.8 million Muslims live in France, about 10% of the population, making Islam the second largest religion in the country after Catholicism.
According to the latest data from the “National Federation of Islamic Private Education” in France, there are 126 Islamic schools in the country, with the federation, founded in 2014, stating that these schools educate 12,000 students.
However, only 10 schools receive government support, as revealed by Reuters, and even those still receiving French government funding are at risk of losing it under recent government decisions.
The “Mosque Insurance” website in France states that an Islamic school is primarily “an educational institution, primary or secondary, recognized by the legal authorities as such.” It adds that its opening is conditional since the Jospin law regarding authorization for opening.
Opening a private institution requires Islamic associations conducting such projects to:
- Propose an educational project to the university authorities.
- Appoint qualified staff according to the law.
- Present the opening for verification by the mayor and the prefect.
The website notes that Islamic schools in France comply with the law and are subject to regular monitoring by French authorities to ensure their compliance with French laws, with surprise inspections mandated by law for all institutions, whether religious or not.
Islamic schools in France operate through contracts with the Ministry of National Education. They only sign the contract after operating without it for five years, which adds value to their reputation among Muslim communities desiring to educate their children in Islamic schools.
Preference for Jewish Schools
France has a tradition allowing the establishment of Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish schools that permit religious expression within the constraints of secular principles that largely exclude religion from public life, according to Reuters.
The agency noted that the ban on the hijab in French public schools in 2004 led to increased demand for Islamic schools, where Muslim students, especially girls, can express their religious identity.
While the government funds 10 Islamic schools in France, it funded 7,045 Catholic schools in return, according to the report. The Catholic Church in France states that there are 7,220 Catholic schools, as reported by Reuters.
Macron’s government introduced laws granting local authorities the power to withdraw funding from institutions, including private schools, for failing to respect “freedom, equality, and fraternity” among other things.
In a speech in 2020, Macron described the need to counter what he considered extremism in Islamic communities, including practices such as gender segregation. He said, “The problem is ideological, claiming that its laws must be superior to the laws of the Republic.”
In 2020, Élysée advisors told journalists that monitoring Islamic schools in France and associations concerned with children is essential to combat separatism, expressing fears of religious indoctrination in some.
While Amnesty International warned that the government’s approach could be discriminatory and risk reinforcing stereotypes that conflate all Muslims with terrorism or extremist views, Paris has persisted in tightening control over Islamic schools.
Attacks on Islamic Schools in France
All Islamic schools in France face organized criticism and attacks from various quarters, not only from the far right or traditional right but also from the left, in response to the decision to cut funding for Ibn Rushd High School.
Education ministry data shows that since 2017, only one Islamic school received government funding, compared to nine schools overall during Macron’s tenure. The National Federation of Islamic Education stated that around 70 requests were made on behalf of Islamic schools during that period.
Reuters spoke to over ten directors and current and former teachers in ten Islamic schools, who said the institutions were targeted, often unjustly blamed for trivial reasons, and that perceived discrimination hindered their integration into the state system.
American anthropologist Carol Ferrara said Catholic and Jewish schools are dealt with more leniently: “There is truly a double standard regarding who must comply with republican secular values in a certain way and who does not.”
French media reported that the prominent Catholic school Stanislas in Paris maintained its funding despite inspectors finding issues last year, including sexually biased or homophobic ideas and compulsory religious lessons.
The education ministry stated that the government has increased its supervision of private schools during Macron’s tenure, leading to more closures, including some non-denominational schools. It cited budget constraints as a reason for the decline in Islamic schools in France receiving public funding.
Closure of Islamic Schools in Macron’s Era
Since Macron came to power in 2017, at least five Islamic schools in France have been closed by local offices of the national government, according to Reuters’ tally, compared to only one Islamic school closed during the terms of the two previous presidents before Macron.
In Macron’s first year in office, another school lost public funding promised by former President François Hollande’s government in May 2017.
While some of the five closed Islamic schools taught conservative versions of Islam, according to education ministry data and closure orders, directors and teachers Reuters spoke to stressed their efforts to create an inclusive and tolerant educational environment.
Mahmoud Awad, a board member of the Education and Knowledge School, which lost state funding shortly after Macron took office, said, “There was no desire for separation at all.” He added, “At some point, they have to accept that Islamic schools in France resemble Catholic or Jewish schools.”
Idir Rab, director of Ibn Sina Middle School in Nice, said he unsuccessfully sought public funding since 2020 because he wants to integrate the school into the state’s fold. The latest request was rejected in February 2024, according to a document seen by Reuters.
In February, Education Minister Nicole Belloubet said she wanted to close Ibn Sina School, citing “opaque financing” found by a local government representative. In April, an administrative court temporarily ruled any violations were minor, suspending the closure order. The next hearing is scheduled for June 25.
In response to Reuters, the ministry reiterated that financial opacity is widespread at Ibn Sina School, saying it awaits the final court ruling. It said the school can appeal.
Cutting Funding for France’s Top High School
Established in 2003, “Ibn Rushd” School is the first Islamic high school established in France, amidst controversy over the hijab, which led to the banning of religious symbols in government schools.
Despite operating under a license from the French Ministry of Education, French authorities ceased their support due to “lack of confidence.”
However, the reality is that “Ibn Rushd” School topped the list of best schools in France. According to a survey conducted by “Le Parisien” newspaper, its success rate reached 100% in the Baccalauréat exams.
Since 2019, the “Île-de-France” region refused to provide the support stipulated in the Islamic high school’s contract with the state, specifically criticizing “Ibn Rushd” School due to a Qatari donation of 950,000 euros in 2014.
An inspection by the Ministry of Education in 2020 found the grant to be legal. However, officials and politicians in the Lille region continued a campaign to restrict state income to the school, according to Reuters.
The school follows the standard curriculum in France, in addition to an optional subject on Islam. Among the accusations leveled against the institution was the mention of a book advocating the death penalty for apostasy or gender segregation, which contradicts French republican values.
However, both teachers and students confirm that the mentioned book is not part of the curriculum. Eric Dufour, the director of Ibn Rushd, who was previously a teacher in the private Catholic sector, responded, “These links are old but never interfere with the school’s operations. I guarantee that.”
