By creating statistics on religion to foster a better understanding and assessment of the situation. Ending this situation means ensuring that the influx of funds from these countries is no longer directed towards “their” community, but rather, in a clear and transparent manner, towards a recognised organisation whose resources will be used for the benefit of all Muslims in France, whatever their origin. 5 – Eliminating ambiguities that affect certain local practices (longterm leases, denominational burial grounds, loan guarantees) to assure Muslims that such legal practices are compatible with the French Constitution. Many books that promise “the truth” about Muslims are actually full of hatred and bigotry. You might think a website called “the religion of peace” would be somewhat positive, but it turns out to spew vile hatred against a billion people who actually practice Islam as a religion of peace and love. The contemplation of divine love in its biblical fullness is never something that ends in itself. It’s the list I recommend to my students when I train law enforcement and educational institutions, or speak at churches and synagogues.

3 – Contributing – as far as is permitted by the French Law of 1905 on the Separation of the Churches and State – to the fight against fundamentalist discourse, notably by funding cultural courses and the work of chaplains in all closed settings (schools, prisons, armed forces, hospitals, etc.), as well as through the teaching of Arabic in State schools. 4 – Giving due thought to the absence of Islam from the concordat which even today governs the relationship between religions and the State in the Alsace-Moselle region. The Story of the Quran by Ingrid Mattson is a short book, but it clarifies the religious, cultural and even political significance of Islam’s holy book, the Quran. It was too short. Not because there are so many, but because many of them are horrifyingly inaccurate and often downright false. So do not be afraid to approach the fellow members of your church when you are feeling ill or full of woe – they are there to support you! More and more of our fellow Americans have questions and need answers. 155 people declare themselves to be non-Muslim but have at least one parent of Muslim faith (or 1% of the overall sample).

Although forbidden by Law, Muslim burial ground is supported by public authorities, which creates legal uncertainty. This information is readily available from public records. Tāranātha’s Rgya gar chos ‘byung (History of Buddhism in India, 1608), in accord with other Indian sources, notes that Buddhists rejoiced in the Muslim destruction of Hinduism and records that Buddhists even acted as agents and intermediaries for the Turkic assault on Magadha in central India. It is really an excellent way to understand some of the political upheavals we are seeing in Muslim countries today, including the rise of militant ideologies. The practice consists of tapping with your fingertips on specific meridian points while talking through traumatic memories and a wide range of emotions, including grief. Belgium is famous for quite a few things, including its chocolate and the billiard balls it manufactures. All of this in a context where such teaching is very present in mosques and Koranic schools, particularly because nothing of the sort is offered in schools. Mosques were insulated to a great extent from the influence of actors not native to an area, such as foreign fighters, when they were tied to a network of local families and served as social institutions around which communities organized.

2 – Ensuring transparent financial resources for Islam in France intended for a collective use, in order to see a structured organisation of Islam, to pay the salaries of imams, and to respond to the undeniable social reality that is “the new Islamic pride” felt by many Muslims in France, for whom Islam has become a question of identity rather than religion. It is also worth considering issues of social equality and the State’s capacity to create a theological faculty that can quickly express religious interpretations consistent with the reality of France today. Putting an end to the authoritative influence – which has long been accepted and even encouraged by France – of foreign States, who would never tolerate on their own soil what they practice in France. I’m happy that people want to learn — even though I think meeting Muslims is far more valuable than reading about them — but searching the sea of available choices can be difficult and dangerous.