The colloquium of the European network of IREL was held on Thursday 7 and Friday 8 October 2021 at the MSH Paris Nord and focused on the training of Muslim religious leaders. This question is far from being specific to France and to its model of relations between State and religions: the problem arises in all European countries, from the moment when the religious and spiritual needs of Europeans of the Muslim faith must be satisfied. This colloquium was an opportunity to compare the challenges, methods and problems related to the training of Muslim religious leaders.
The first day was devoted to French public policies as well as general notions and historical perspectives. During the second day, IREL’s European correspondents presented the challenges and difficulties of training Muslim religious leaders in their respective countries (England, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Switzerland); particular attention was paid to Germany. The day ended with a round table dedicated to the French case.