France’s government has defended allowing Algerian imams to lead Ramadan prayers despite being locked in a diplomatic fallout over immigration policies.
France has issued visas to imams from Algeria to meet the growing demand for religious leaders during Ramadan, despite a diplomatic rift between Paris and Algiers.
According to the French Interior Ministry, several dozen Quran reciters will join mosques across the country to lead prayers for France’s significant Muslim population, which represents the second-largest religious group in France.
However, the decision also comes despite a standoff in diplomatic relations between Algiers and Paris fuelled by France’s plan to tighten border controls and immigration.
Just days before the announcement, a deadly knife attack in Mulhouse reportedly involving an Algerian man reignited retaliatory visa restrictions on high-ranking Algerian officials.
Despite French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot’s attempts to expel him on multiple occasions, Algerian President Abdelmajid Tebboune reportedly refused to cooperate.
The move sparked outrage in Algiers after French Prime Minister François Bayrou hinted at the possibility of cancelling a key agreement on free movement between the two countries.
Under the 1968 accords between Algiers and Paris, Algerians enjoy favourable treatment on immigration matters in France. But Algeria has in recent months refused on several occasions to accept its citizens expelled by France.
Despite the fallout, Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau defended the decision to allow Algerian imams on French soil, arguing that a ban would harm the religious practices of France’s Muslim population.
“If we prevent them from coming for Ramadan, it is not Algeria that will be bothered, but Muslims in France. A detestable message would be sent to them,” a close ally of Retailleau told French media.
The French government regularly welcomes religious figures, including Quran reciters, from countries such as Morocco and Turkey to serve the needs of various faith communities during Ramadan.
The ministry of the interior claimed that these imams are carefully vetted, with their credentials reviewed by authorities before their arrival. According to the government, the system is overseen by the minister of religious affairs, ensuring that only those with legitimate religious qualifications are allowed to lead prayers.
Tensions with Algeria were further inflamed after French President Emmanuel Macron recently recognised Morocco’s claim to Western Sahara during a diplomatic visit to Rabat. The Algerian senate then suspended relations with its French counterpart in response to a visit by a senior French politician to the region.
The vast desert territory is a former Spanish colony largely controlled by Morocco but claimed for decades by the Algeria-backed Polisario Front separatist group.
France has also been outspoken on issues like the imprisonment of French-Algerian writer Boualem Sensal, who was detained in Algeria in November on charges of “undermining national unity”.
Sensal, a vocal critic of Algeria’s government, remains in custody despite calls from Paris for his release. Macron has publicly condemned the detention, accusing Algeria of “dishonouring itself” by keeping the ailing writer behind bars.
