FRANCE: Country's first Muslim secondary school opens in Marseille

Record ID: 438487

  • Title: FRANCE: Country's first Muslim secondary school opens in Marseille
  • Date: 16th September 2009
  • Summary: MARSEILLE, FRANCE (RECENT) (REUTERS) EXTERIOR OF SCHOOL ENTRANCE SIGN READING: (French) 'MUSLIM CENTRE OF MARSEILLE / PRIVATE COLLEGE IBN KHALDOUN' STUDENTS CLIMBING SCHOOL STAIRS STUDENTS IN CLASSROOM, TEACHER WRITING ON WHITEBOARD STUDENTS RAISING THEIR HANDS TO ANSWER A QUESTION TEACHER WRITING ON WHITEBOARD STUDENTS TAKING NOTES TEACHER CHECKING STUDENT'S NOTEBOOK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) MATHEMATICS TEACHER, SOUHAIL BOUGHDIRI, SAYING: "I used to be a professor in a public high school. Two young veiled girls in my class were expelled. I tried everything to let them stay in school but the college decided to expel them anyway. Today, these two young girls still don't have a school to go to. At that time, I heard of this (Muslim) high school and decided to come and teach here." FEMALE STUDENT READING HER SCHOOL BOOK (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STUDENT, LOUBNA, SAYING:"I found many of my friends here and I am able to learn about my religion and the Arabic language." VARIOUS OF MALE STUDENT IN THE CLASSROOM (SOUNDBITE) (Arabic) STUDENT, SIDIK, SAYING: "I came to this school because I want to become a religious scholar, one of the greatest religious scholars of our time."
  • Embargoed: 1st October 2009 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: France
  • Country: France
  • Topics: Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVA3KKVIRUWJMA1G4P6BKI9VRTNH
  • Story Text: The first Muslim secondary school in France has opened in the southern city of Marseille, a rare occurrence in a secular European country.
    At the private school named after Ibn Khaldoun, a 14th century Arab historian considered the father of sociology, students can learn about Muslim religion and culture and learn Arabic in addition to the standard French curriculum.
    France has the largest Muslim population in western Europe, with some 200,000 -- a quarter of the country's Muslim population -- centred in Marseille.
    A 2004 law banned pupils from wearing conspicuous signs of their religion at state schools in France, a law this private school does not need to adhere to. They can wear the Muslim headscarf -- the "hijab" -- and other items of Islamic dress.
    "I used to be a professor in a public secondary school. Two young veiled girls in my class were expelled. I tried everything to let them stay in school but the college decided to expel them anyway. Today, these two young girls still don't have a school to go to. At that time, I heard of this (Muslim) high school and decided to come and teach here," said mathematics teacher Souhail Boughdiri.
    The Ibn Khaldoun school has opened with 40 students aged 11 and 12. Every year, the school plans to open two new classes and expects to have 200 students aged 11 to 15 years within four years.
    "I found many of my friends here and I am able to learn about my religion and the Arabic language," said 11-year-old student Loubna.
    "I came to this school because I want to become a religious scholar, one of the greatest religious scholars of our time even," said 11-year-old student Sidik.
    The Muslim school does not receive any government subsidies. Tuition fees are 120 euros a month despite the fact each student costs the school 500 euros a month.
    School authorities plan to call for donations and in return donors will have their names engraved on the compound walls.
    "Our first ambition is to attain an important success rate. Next, we hope that all Muslims are able to enrol in a school like this, if they so desire. Thirdly, we hope to open other schools like this one in France," said the Director of the School Mohsen Ngazou.
    President Sarkozy and other legislators have caused recent controversy by expressing concern that more and more Muslim women were covering their faces. Teachers at the Ibn Khaldoun school expect this could lead to an influx of students wanting to be able to express their religion through their clothes.
    The school is housed in a building which was originally planned as a mosque.
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