The French magazine L’Express (September 8, 2010) has published an interview with Hassen Chalghoumi. The magazine refers to him as the “republican” imam from Drancy since he advocates for the training of imams in France. The interview coincides with the release of his book Pour l’islam de France (For an Islam of France). In order to put a stop to the phenomenon of unschooled young women, forced marriages and battered wives, the imam suggests that the imams be trained according to the values of the French Republic. He also mentions that the imams trained by the Union des organisations islamiques de France (UOIF) cannot be trusted since it is under the control of the Muslim Brotherhood which has made hundred of thousands of victims in the Islamic world. The imam is under 24/7 protection by two body guards after he received death threats for having expressed his opposition to the niqab and advocated for a rapprochement with the Jewish community.
A previous post discussed statements by a UOIF leader which blamed Chalghoumi for a mob attack on his mosque
The UOIF is widely regarded as representing the Muslim Brotherhood in France. Fouad Alaoui and Lahj Breze took over the leadership of the UOIF in 1993 and were known as the “Bordelaise Clan”, a reference to the French town in which they met as students. They were generally regarded as more moderate than their predecessors Abdallah Ben Mansour and Ahmed Jaballah who are both serving as officers of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE). Foud Alaoui is also a FIOE officer.