France’s largest Muslim school
France News: European country France has stopped funding for its country’s largest Muslim high school. This funding is being stopped because officials believe that students there were being provided education under Islamic values. In this regard, a local official said that France is stopping funding to the country’s largest Muslim school on the grounds of administrative failures and ‘questionable teaching practices’. On the other hand, human rights called this step unfair and said that this action of stopping funding is being taken to suppress Muslims.
France’s largest Muslim high school ‘Averos’ is a private high school, which opened in 2003 in the northern city of Lille, France. There are more than 800 students in this Muslim high school. It has been under contract with the French government since 2008 and is receiving government funding. The school’s students follow the French curriculum. Besides, they are also given religious education.
According to news agency Reuters, the French Home Ministry had told the administration of this school that the education given here is not in accordance with the values of France. However, the local office of the Home Ministry has refused to give further information on termination of the contract with the school.
Is anti-Muslim sentiment increasing in France?
According to media reports, many Muslims feel that France, the country with the largest Muslim population in Europe, has now started harboring ill will towards Muslims. Especially since there was a major jihadi attack on France in 2015. In the month of September, France’s Education Minister banned Abaya, the Islamic dress of Muslim women in public schools. Last year an imam in northern France was ordered to leave the country.
School may close without government help
On the other hand, Eric Dufour, headmaster of France’s largest Muslim high school, says that if government funding to the school is stopped, this school may be closed. The headmaster said that he has not yet received the notification from the local office of the Home Ministry to terminate the contract. He has said that the school will approach the court against this decision of the government. “When it comes to French values, we apply them more deeply than any other school,” he said. He said the school would not be able to meet its budgetary needs without government funds.
What do parents say?
Meanwhile, Mohammed Daoudi, father of a 12-year-old student studying at the school, said that he chose ‘Averos’ school because the school has been very ahead in the field of education. Like them, parents of many students have called this decision of the government unjust. Daoudi says it is part of a broader crackdown on France’s Muslim minorities.
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