Trends’ study: Europe trains Mosque Imams locally to fight extremism

According to a new study by Trends Research and Advisory, European countries shall train mosque imams locally to fight extremism.

The study entitled "Fighting Extremism in Europe: Training Imams and Reducing External Funding," indicated that European countries found that recruiting Imams from abroad can contribute to extremism, due to differences in cultures and perceptions, not to mention that some Imams represent systematic policies of their original homelands.

The study, prepared by Dr. Jassim Mohammed, a researcher in international security and terrorism, added that the majority of European countries have adopted strict measures in receiving Imams from abroad, and some European countries began training Imams locally in universities and specialized institutes.

The study explained that European countries need to expand the scope of training programs for Imams, so that the number of Imams is commensurate with the size of Muslims communities in Europe, and that the activity of Imams extends to schools and formal institutions.

The study concluded that European countries need to cooperate with Islamic councils in Europe, as well as with some well-known religious authorities in the countries of the region that adopt moderate discourse.  indicating that training imams locally is an important step in combating extremism in Europe, and will help ensure that imams are familiar with European culture, and that they can present a moderate religious discourse that is compatible with the values of European countries.

The study indicated that there are some challenges facing European countries in this respect, such as the need to formulate balanced training curricula that combine behavior in society with the Islamic law.

The study recommended that the European countries should take a number of measures, most notably expanding training programs for Mosque Imams locally, ensuring that the training curricula are balanced and combining social behavior with Islamic law norms.  Moreover, the European authorities need to coordinate training programs for Imams with Islamic councils in Europe, and cooperate with well-known religious authorities in the countries of the region that follow moderate Islamic discourse.