Naissance médiatique de l'intellectuel musulman en France (1989-2005)

III. The intellectual representing of the Islam of France

We saw that the French media taken in their globality tend to copy the image of a desired evolution of Islam on « our » proper Western history. They were until inventing a new clan of the perfect Moslem reforming intellectual. Parallel to this one, years 1990 mark the birth of a category of organic intellectuals of the Islamic religion, there still by establishing bridges and obvious points of comparison with the history of Christianity or the Judaism in France. Islam being a religion without Church, one should be created « Islam gallican », it with what harness themselves several « Napoleon of Islam^138(*) ». Nevertheless, with the image of the difficult birth of an Islam of France, the childbirth of these official Moslem intellectuals is quite complex. We will thus study in this part how a new place of legitimation of organic Moslem intellectuals is constituted, before drawing an early assessment from the forces of this very new French Islamic landscape. Lastly, the third point will make it possible to ask to us whether the role of these intellectuals is broader than purely organic.

A) A new place of intellectual legitimation

1) Short history of the installation of the Islam of France

To pass from an Islam to France to an Islam of France is not easy matter to achieve. The Islamic community becomes aware in the years 1980 of the need for organizing the Moslem worship in the Hexagon. Certain difficulties appear indeed for the choice of the date of the Ramadan, the market of the meat halal, the recruitment of the Imams, the teaching of Arabic, or the management of the places of prayers. The process started by the minister of religion Pierre Joxe in 1989 launches really the impulse which leads finally to the election of the French Council of the Moslem Worship (CFCM) in 2003. But the way was not without bumps.

From November 1989 to March 1990, fifteen personalities are joined together on the initiative of Pierre Joxe within the CORIF (the Council of Reflection on Islam in France). This process of consultation is stopped by the return of the right-hand side to the capacity in 1993. Charles Pasqua, arrived Beauvau place, is pressed again on the Mosque of Paris. Dalil Boubaker, its vice-chancellor, then becomes the privileged interlocutor of the authorities, while the process of creation of representative Islam of France is in sleep for a few years. In November 1999, it is Jean-Pierre Chevènement who starts again a very broad consultation (7 made fun federations, 5 large and 6 personalities). Its efforts are relayed by Daniel Vaillant and lead to the first election of the French Council of the Moslem Worship (CFCM) under the era Nicolas Sarkozy in April 2003.

In fifteen years thus, a long way is traversed in the introduction of an Islam of France. And the process remains unfinished : CFCM pains to secure a real legitimacy, its great projects still remaining with the state of outlines. On the form, CFCM undergoes crisis on crisis and frequently records the resignation of its most influential members. On the bottom, it is not able to take a lead in all the subjects which belong to its field of attribution. In spite of this still partial birth, how this new Islam of France it created a new posture of intellectual legitimation ?

2) A complex market : the law of supply and

Thanks to the process of installation of an Islam of France, that which becomes privileged interlocutor of the State gains of credibility. The stake is to become an intellectual playing the part of bridge between the Republic and the Moslem community. With the creation of the Council of the wise Moslems on November 6, 1989, fifteen Moslems have, according to words' of Michel Kubler in the Cross, the occasion to add a line to their « calling card^139(*) ». The place is thus coveted, the market is complex : supply is precise, multiple.

The offer of the French State presents three requirements : the Republic claims of this future emissary of the Moslem community that it is at the same time French, republican and representative. The first requirement of the successive ministers of religion is thus of « gallicaniser », of « to francize » Islam. Each interlocutor maintains in general the more or less constant relations with countries of the Moslem world, like Algeria for the close relations of the Mosque of Paris, Morocco for those of the FNMF (National Federation of the Moslems of France) or Saudi Arabia for those of the UOIF (Union of the Organization Islamic of France). To erase these foreign fights of influence, the State will endeavor to choose French representatives. The Moslem Institute of the Mosque of Paris is the symbol of the fight carried out by France, which manages to impose a French vice-chancellor at his head only in 1992. In the absence of being able to completely cut its interlocutors of the pressures from abroad, the French State thus will endeavor to destroy the potential influences external of those by combining them and thus by neutralizing them.

The second claim of the State is that the future one representing Islam of France shows white republican matter leg. « Declaration of intent relating to the rights and obligations of faithful of the Moslem worship », that Jean-Pierre Chevènement imposes on his interlocutors like precondition to any negotiation, is illustrates it example. Will thus be supported, as far as possible, the interlocutors carrying possible Islam less threatening for the great principles of the French Republic.

French and republican thus, the candidate must also be representative. Upon the departure of the dialog, Pierre Joxe announces his concern of encouraging the people who have one « experiment of ground » : « Essence, for me, is to be able to dialog with people who will inform me by a first hand experiment on the concrete Islam, lived daily in France by hundreds of thousands from men and women, French and abroad^140(*). » Not question thus for the potential Moslem intellectual of representing an Islam too distant from that practiced at its base.

As for the request of the Moslem leaders, it is heterogeneous but adapts to the offer of the State. It is advisable to distinguish three types from « solicitants of legitimacy ». There are first of all the leaders of federations : the Mosque of Paris (of Sheik Abbas to Doctor Boubakeur), the UOIF ( Abdallah Ben Mansour, Lhaj Thami Breze, Fouad Alaoui, or Farid Abdelkrim), the FNMF (Youssouf Leclerc,  Mohammed Bechari, Abdallah Boussouf), other leaders of federations being more in withdrawal (Tabligh for example). This trio of federations constitutes the most natural partners for the authorities, a privilege which was disputed besides by one « face of refusal against the band of the three^141(*) ». The vice-chancellors of the large mosques intend indeed also to be made hear (Kamel Katbane of the Large Mosque of Lyon, Khalil Merroun of the Large Mosque of Evry, Amar Lasfar of the Large Mosque of Lille). Lastly, a third type of actor, the independent intellectual, i.e. not belonging officially neither to the federations, nor with the large mosques, supplements this panel of candidates. It acts inter alia converted Michel Chodkiewicz and Eric Geoffroy, of the sheik alawi Khaled Bentounès, the anthropologist Dounia Bouzar, or of the mufti of Marseilles Soheib Bencheikh.

The installation of the Islam of France thus creates a new field for the Moslem intellectual : that of interface with the authorities. Heterogeneous actors answer variously the criteria required by the State. Which is thus the portrait of the French Islamic landscape which emerges from this complex play ?

* ¹³⁸ Xavier Ternisien, «  Sarkozy and the Islam of France  », the World, 16/1/2003.

* ¹³⁹ Michel Kubler, «  Fifteen wise for an Islam in France  », the Cross, 20/3/1990.

* ¹⁴⁰ Maintenance with Henri Tincq with Pierre Joxe, the World, 17/3/1990.

* ¹⁴¹ Xavier Ternisien, «Agreement on the composition of the future Council of the Moslem Worship  », the World, 21/12/2002.