Muslim establishment again suspended by court ruling

Muslim establishment again suspended by court ruling

On July 12, the Averroès high school in Lille sent a message of congratulations to its students. On its website, the establishment praised the 97.5% success rate for the 2024 baccalaureate with 69% of honors. A performance “after a very trying year” the high school stressed, in reference to the arm wrestling match that has been going on with the public authorities for months and should see a new legal stage.

On Monday, July 22, the interim relief judge must rule on the State’s decision, in December 2023, to terminate the association contract. If the judge rejects the appeal of the Lille Muslim establishment (around 800 students in middle and high school), the reopening next September could be complicated.

Under the contractualisation provided for by the Debré law of 1959, the remuneration of teachers in private establishments is covered by the State. In return for control over the content of teaching and compliance with a certain number of principles (welcoming all students, guarantee of freedom of conscience, values ​​of the republic, etc.).

A report from the regional court of auditors in March 2023 had pointed out several failings by Averroès in this regard. In particular, a refusal by the former director of Averroès to open its doors to national education inspectors and the presence, among the books in the Muslim ethics course program, of a book whose certain remarks were contrary to the laws of the Republic.

In a first interim relief application, the institution had tried to argue that this book had never been taught and that it had, moreover, disappeared from the curriculum distributed to teachers. Facing an initial failure, in February 2024, the lawyers filed a second interim relief application armed with a more solid defense file. “We will bring more than 80 testimonies from families who say that their children have never heard of this book.” said Me Frédéric Jablonski before the hearing, ten days ago. This will also corroborate the conclusions of a general inspection which found nothing wrong with this teaching.”

As for the former director who opposed the inspection, the school acknowledges a fault punished by the dismissal of the employee after the events.

Two weights, two measures

Since the announcement by the prefect of the North, Averroès has obtained the support of teachers’ unions and associations, such as the Human Rights League. Local figures such as the former president of the department Jean-René Lecerf and the director of Sciences Po Lille, Pierre Mathiot, have also pleaded in favour of the establishment.

Defenders denounce a form of double standards between the final sanction of Averroes, and the placement under surveillance of the Parisian Catholic high school Stanislas, also pinned in a report. In April, the high school assured that it could count on the success of an online kitty to be able to stay in place for the next school year.

But beyond the grievances about the famous work, it is also the proximity of the management of Averroes with a mosque linked to the Muslim Brotherhood and the opaque provenance of certain foreign funds which is pointed out by its detractors.

Whatever the decision of the interim relief judge, Averroès’ fate is still far from being sealed. The new prefect of the North, Bertrand Gaume, former chief of staff of the Minister of Education Najat Vallaud-Belkacem, was appointed last February. In addition to the interim relief, several appeals on the merits have been filed against the prefect’s decision, but it will probably take two years or more for these disputes to be resolved.

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