French Council of the Muslim Faith

The French Council of the Muslim Faith (French: Conseil français du culte musulman, usually abbreviated to CFCM), is a national elected body, to serve as an official interlocutor with the French state in the regulation of Muslim religious activities. It is a non-profit group created on 28 May 2003 by Nicolas Sarkozy and a group of Islamic students who felt they needed better representation in their country.The council consists of 25 CRCMs (Conseil Regional du Culte Musulman or Regional Councils of the Muslim Faith). From 2008 to 2013 the president of the CFCM is Anouar Kbibech, a CIO of SFR French telecommunications company representing the Rassemblement des Musulmans de France ().

While CFCM has no special legal standing, it is the de facto representative of the French Muslims before the national government. Nicolas Sarkozy, who was then Minister of the Interior, supported the creation of CFCM. The group includes other organizations, such as the Union of Islamic Organisations of France (UOIF). It is presumed that Sarkozy desired to have some "official" representative of the Muslim community, in the same manner as there exist "official" representatives of the Jewish, Catholic, and Protestant faiths. Critics allege that, in virtue of laïcité, there was no need to give official representation to a religious group, which led to communautarisme. They further note that most people of Muslim culture in France are not well represented by such religious institutions. Newspapers like Le Canard enchaîné or Charlie Hebdo have stressed that Sarkozy appeared to favour the UOIF.

The Council of the Muslim Faith was originally created to help Islamic France to be better represented and to help regulate things that go along with the religion. The council is in charge of regulating things such as halal meat, holidays, and mosque construction in France. They strive to make sure Muslims have somewhere to pray to mecca, somewhere their children can learn more about their religion, and also to bring the population together. The council is not a political party, rather a way for the Muslim citizens to have their ideas heard and make sure they are represented when it comes to governmental decisions. The CFCM also seeks to dilute the discrimination against Muslims in Europe, most specifically France. They look to educate those who affiliate radical Muslims with the entire Muslim faith, showing them that there can be a radical form of any religion.

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