The Birth of an Inclusive, Female Led Mosque in Paris
Growing up in the United States, I have vivid memories of 9/11 commemorations that take place in American classrooms every year. These days always brought a somber tone. My middle school history teacher showed us clips of Muslims, trying to explain to us why this tragedy occurred. I watched as religious extremists were shown on the screen, and Islam as a whole was blamed for their actions. Such a grotesque display of Islamophobia began to become the new norm.
In the wake of the September 11th attacks, Islamophobia in the United States became more naked and unrepentant. Most conversations, concentrate on topics that are unrepresentative of the ordinary Muslim’s experience and take a hypercritical tone toward the faith. Topics such as Islamic fundamentalism, The Salman Rushdie Affair, and the oppression of women dominate conversations about Islam in the media spotlight and educational environments. This siloed selection of topics fails to allow non-Muslims to recognize the diverse experience of millions of Muslim communities around the globe, especially ignoring those that accomplish progressive projects. Exclusive attention to these topics raises the question of why Western society as a whole has decided to selectively focus on these Islamic representations.
My experience as a university student in France has awakened me to the reality that one-sided, prejudiced conversations about Islam are not limited to middle school classrooms in the United States. As an openly gay Protestant, integrating with the Muslim community in Paris has been a life-changing transition in how I perceive religion. While working on a case study for the Harvard Religious Literacy project, I met Dr. Kahina Bahloul who founded the Fatima Mosque - the first female led mosque in France. Her journey has not been easy: the 2015 attack in Paris by an islamic extremist inflamed the already negative portrayal of Islam in France. Nevertheless, Bahloul used the tragedy as inspiration to create a place in Paris that stands for the inclusive and tolerant Islam that she believes in. She is currently overseeing the construction of this project in Paris.
Bahloul has been an activist for many years, both within and in defense of her religious community. She has been working against what she described as “misogynist Salafist rhetoric and other conservative factions in Islam.” However, it was not until the terrorist attacks in Paris, France when she felt obligated to do something as both a woman and Muslim. She shared with me that her drive to become an imam arose from feeling out of step with how Islam is taught in traditional Salafist mosques. An imam is the chosen person within a group of gathered muslims to perform a jamaat or combined prayer. Usually, it is a scholar and traditionally a man. Nevertheless, she was inspired to fill the role. She is not alone in the pursuit of woman leadership in Islam, as her partner and co-founder of the Fatima Mosque, Faker Korchane is aiding in the mosque’s development. Their efforts and the community it has attracted shows that views within Islam are diverse, culturally embedded, and time-specific.
Korchane hosts the Mu’tazila organization’s weekly meeting – an atypical event that facilitates discussion about Islam. It convenes in different, unique places each time: the basement of a small bookstore or a local café filled with an eclectic, engaged group. I was fortunate enough to attend one of their meetings in January. The gathering of these people is itself a testament to the diversity of cultures, backgrounds, and beliefs that make up Islam. The discussion topics vary widely as Korchane answers questions from each attendee, addressing each curiosity with the utmost respect. The ability for the participants to ask any question and for Korchane to answer them with care and honesty exemplifies the open culture this group of Muslims and non-Muslims has adopted. To me, it displayed what’s possible – and needed – in all communities. The importance of openness is what allows everyone to communicate and understand each other. This type of forum and the exposure to different religious groups it facilitates would help to prevent hatred based on misconceptions and ignorance.
Bahloul makes clear that she and her colleagues are not only forging a new path but are also taking their history and origins with them. She speaks of her roots in both French and Algerian culture and the cultural norms she observed in Algeria as a child. Contrary to assumptions, women in Algeria, a majority Muslim country, did not commonly wear the “traditional” head-coverings where she grew up. When her high school classmates decided to cover their hair, they wore the more contemporary hijab. She began to see the diversity of ideology within Islamic law when Tunisia, a neighboring majority-Muslim country, banned what were religious norms in her country. Bahloul’s childhood and young adult observations drew Bahloul to notice the complex structure within religious groups - quite contrary to the one-dimensional Islam that Western media and leaders often purport.
Upon moving to France after her legal studies in Algeria, Bahloul began to realize the difficulty that comes with religion in France. The French value of laïcité has established a social norm of avoiding all things religion in public spaces. Her desire to develop her “multidimensional identity” proved difficult. Among hardship, Bahloul continues to contradict the Islam so many see in the media. Despite her dedication, the creation of an inclusive mosque has been much harder than she originally thought - the French public is reluctant to support any religious project, let alone an Islamic one.
As a majority of immigrants coming to France are Muslim, the tension between the static concept of a “French tradition” and Islamic practice has remained unresolved. In 2011, the French government enacted a law which banned hijabs in public schools, and burkinis and traditional niqabs in public. Bahloul said that such actions are counterproductive and avoid addressing specific issues to steer away from necessary dialogue addressing Islamophobia.
The Fatima Mosque faces objection from those that believe religion should stay a private matter and not invade public spheres. Bahloul continues to speak out against the traditionalist, media-promoted Islam while she and Korchane press on to create a physical space for the members of the Fatima Mosque. As of right now, the Fatima Mosque continues to meet in diverse spaces around Paris. Due to the hesitation within the traditional Muslim community to support a woman-led organization, the mosque struggles to acquire the funding to purchase their own space. Until then, social media acts as their most effective primary outlet.
When it comes to the perception of Muslims the existence of prejudice is no secret. However, in France, accusations of such discrimination or prejudice on the basis of religion can be quickly dismissed as attempts to preserve laïcité. In such instances, I can not help but be reminded of myself in middle school watching footage that left me with an incomplete, critical view of Islam for years.
Paying attention to these individuals and including them in our discourse is now more important than ever. I wonder what middle school me would have drawn from learning about the Muslims who attend the Fatima Mosque. As a young American boy, I did not stop to consider how muslims were perceived around the world let alone in France. Maybe this is because the United States dictates how certain groups are perceived in Western culture. This is a dangerous precedent. The United States needs to be more attentive and understanding of others if it wishes to continue being a leading world power.
What’s at stake is more than just media screen time - it is the precious lives of over one billion individuals.
