Dozens of prominent French Muslims and Prime Minister Manuel Valls have called for a national drive to promote mainstream Islam and combat the radicalisation of young Muslims.
(BBC)- They issued separate appeals in the Journal du Dimanche (JDD) newspaper, as France remains in shock from the murder of a priest by Islamist extremists last week.
The 41 prominent Muslims and Mr Valls said a French Muslim foundation set up in 2005 must be relaunched.
Mr Valls’s stance drew some criticism.
Two politicians in the right-wing opposition party The Republicans – Eric Ciotti and Christian Estrosi – accused Mr Valls of hypocrisy for failing to prevent the opening of a Saudi-funded mosque in Nice.
Mr Valls was booed at a commemoration in Nice on 18 July for the 84 people killed by a lorry which ploughed into a holiday crowd on the city’s beachfront promenade. The Tunisian driver is believed to have been inspired by so-called Islamic State (IS).
There is widespread concern in Europe about the influence of Saudi Arabia’s ultra-conservative Wahhabi version of Islam.