Earlier in June, French Prime Minister Manuel Valls spoke to more than 120 Muslim leaders of federations, rectors of mosques, imams, chaplains, theologians, Islamic scholars and personalities from civil society at the French Interior Ministry in an attempt to improve ties with France's large Muslim community.
The prime minister acknowledged that "Islam still provokes misunderstandings, preconceptions, and rejection by some" of the French, "conflations of which you [the Muslims] are the victims."
Boubakeur therefore has suggested that turning empty or abandoned Catholic churches into mosques could be a solution.
“It’s a delicate issue, but why not?” he told Europe 1 radio after the meeting....
