The second largest group of foreign-born French Muslims comes from Morocco where their religious leaders continue to be trained.
The government of France has sought the cooperation of Morocco, one of its former protectorates in North Africa, in stemming negative foreign influence on Muslims living in its country.
French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin traveled to Morocco on October 16 where he met with officials in the capital Rabat.
They included Ahmed Toufiq, the hardline Minister of Islamic Affairs, who has been in the post since 2002.
It was just the beginning of a whirlwind visit that was overshadowed by the assassination of the school teacher Samuel Paty in suburban Paris on the very same day.
The meeting owed nothing to chance. It came two weeks after French President Emmanual Macron gave a speech on Islamic “separatism” in which he said he wanted to free “Muslims in France from foreign influences”.
In fact, Morocco plays a central role among Muslims in the country….
