what will become of the last private school under Muslim contract in France?

The Al-Kindi Muslim school group has lost its contract. An appeal will be filed. Kamel Kabtane recognized errors and “failings” by the management of the establishment.

The Muslim school Al-Kindi lost its contract with National Education for non-respect of the values ​​of the Republic. The prefecture's report highlights management problems in particular.

Six books which talk about Islam and some pages of which urge the rigorous application of sharia, the obedience of the wife to her husband or even the call to jihad. They were found among the 6,000 books in the collection of the Al-Kindi establishment. The school is located in Décines.

These works are on sale over the counter, but their presence in the establishment poses a problem. Kamel Kabtane condemns the presence of these works. “It has no place in a school, especially in a school of this nature. I yelled at them when I found out.”exclaims the President of the French Institute of Muslim Civilization (IFCM). None of these books present at the Al-Kindi school appear in the catalog of the IFCM documentary collection.

“I'm not saying everything is white. I'm saying: maybe they made mistakes. I even offered to help enforce these rules so that it doesn't happen again.”indicates Kamel Captain.

If Kamel Kabtane wrote to the President of the Republic to ask for indulgence towards Al-Kindi, the rector of the Grand Mosque of Lyon also recognizes shortcomings in management.

Management is the major argument on which the prefecture relied in its investigation to withdraw its approval from the Muslim school. Its operation depends 80% on its contract with the State, in particular for financing teachers' salaries.

In its report, the prefecture criticizes opaque management. “The transfer orders are “charges”, “invoices” or even “subsidies” with the obvious purpose of paying the salaries of teachers outside the contract until 2023”, it is written.

“This could constitute misappropriation of public funds. If the funds collected by the association were diverted from the purpose set by this agreement, the State services would be entitled to claim restitution,” explains Laurent Butstraën, lawyer specializing in non-profit organizations.

The prefecture’s report also notes an atypical montage with a provider association unknown at the time of signing the agreement. “Like any legal entity, the association can have charges and pay service providers,” indicates Laurent Butstraën. But the report emphasizes another point: “The resulting remuneration for this service provider association made it possible to remunerate a teaching activity outside of the contract. Which is not authorized,” specifies the expert.

The Al-Kindi school will file an appeal to defend its case. In anticipation of this withdrawal from the State, it launched an online fundraiser and announced to families a 20% increase in tuition fees for the next school year.