The fourth private Islamic school in France is to be inaugurated to meet the growing needs of the Muslim minority amid a boom in faith-based schools in the strictly secular European country. “The government has recently granted us the licence to start operation,” Mahmoud Awwad, the sponsor and director of the “Education et Savior” school, told. He said the new school, located in the southern Paris suburb of Vitrerie, will follow state curricula in addition to two mandatory subjects on Arabic and Islam. “Education et Savior” is the second school to be opened in Paris after the Reussite school in the northern Paris suburb of Aubervilliers, and the fourth of its kind in France.
The two other private Islamic schools are Ibn Rushd in the northern city of Lille and Al-Kindi in the central city of Lyon. There had been a strong desire among French Muslims, estimated at six to seven million, to have private Islamic schools after Paris banned hijab and religious symbols in state schools four years ago. French Muslim students who adhered to their hijabs had been expelled by principals and their future appeared largely at stake. They heaved a sigh of relief after the opening of such Islamic schools, which are recognised by the state.