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Article: Taming Islam; French Muslims.(The elections to the French Council for the Muslim Faith)
- Article from:
- The Economist (US)
- Article date:
- June 25, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Economist Newspaper Ltd. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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A surprise win for moderates in elections to an official Muslim group
WHEN the French government set up a representative Muslim body two years ago, the idea was both to give Islam an official voice and to co-opt hardline groups in order to temper them. But rival elements in the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) have since bickered so much that it looked as if it might implode. So it was a surprise that on June 19th, the council's first full elections not only passed smoothly, but reinforced the moderates.
The results tilt the 43-strong CFCM board away from the Union of Islamic Organisations of France (UOIF), the most radical big Muslim group. It ...