VZCZCXRO9687
RR RUEHDBU RUEHFL RUEHKW RUEHLA RUEHROV RUEHSR
DE RUEHMRE #0009/01 0261418
ZNY CCCCC ZZH
R 261418Z JAN 07
FM AMCONSUL MARSEILLE
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 1779
INFO RUEHFR/AMEMBASSY PARIS 0471
RUEHZL/EUROPEAN POLITICAL COLLECTIVE
RUEHMRE/AMCONSUL MARSEILLE 0716

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 MARSEILLE 000009 
 
SIPDIS 
 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: DECL:  1/25/2017 
TAGS: FR PREL PINR PGOV
SUBJECT: HEAD OF LOCAL MUSLIM COUNCIL LOOKING FORWARD TO A PRODUCTIVE 
2007 
 
MARSEILLE 00000009  001.2 OF 002 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY: PHILIP BREEDEN, CONSUL GENERAL, AMCONSUL 
MARSEILLE, STATE. 
REASON: 1.4 (d) 
 
Title:  Head of Local Muslim Council Looking Forward to a 
Productive 2007 
 
¶1. (C) Summary:   On January 23, 2007 Abderhammane Ghoul, 
(protect) President of the Regional Council of the Muslim Cult, 
Province Cote d'Azur Region (CRCM-PACA), discussed with 
Marseille Consul General his reasons for optimism about 2007. 
Major mosque projects in his region are advancing, and the 
former President of the CRCM-PACA has finally abandoned his 
blocking tactics and gone to the U.S. to pursue academic 
activities, allowing the Council to function normally for the 
first time in almost two years.  However, Ghoul wishes he could 
spend more time on "fire prevention rather than fire fighting" 
as he is constantly confronted with disaffected and impatient 
youth from his community who are frustrated about their lack of 
integration in the French economy and society.  Although himself 
notably mute on the subject, Ghoul also noted that French Muslim 
youth are also angry about U.S. foreign policy in Iraq and the 
Middle East.  End Summary 
 
¶2. (C) Mourad Zerfaoui No Longer in the Picture: 
Fresh from leading around 150 local Muslims on the Hajj, 
Abderhammane Ghoul met with Marseille CG over lunch on January 
¶23.  He was confident about 2007, mainly because former CRCM 
President Mourad Zerfaoui was out of the picture.  Mourad 
Zerfaoui, a young Algerian-born cleric and biochemist, was the 
first president of the CRCM, surprising everyone when he 
out-polled Bachir Dahmani, the venerable Algerian-born Imam who 
was a city fixture and one of the co-founders of Marseille 
Esperance.  Zerfaoui, now 39, eventually established a dialogue 
with the city, but refused to give up his post when Abderhammane 
Ghoul defeated him in the 2005 CRCM elections.  For over a year 
Zerfaoui refused to vacate the CRCM offices provided by the city 
and impeded CRCM work in many other ways.  This power struggle 
divided the CRCM and made it difficult to work together. 
However, Ghoul informed CG that Zerfaoui had finally accepted 
his defeat, and moved on - to the US, where he was pursuing 
academic pursuits.  According to Ghoul, his departure has those 
who supported him scratching their heads and wondering what all 
the fuss was about, while those who opposed him are relieved and 
ready to get down to business.  For his part, Ghoul, while glad 
Zerfaoui is out of the picture, was somewhat bemused that a 
person he considers to be an extremist is now in the U.S. 
 
¶3. (U) Mosques Moving Ahead 
Ghoul informed CG that the association formed to build the Great 
Mosque of Marseille would receive the keys for the new site from 
the city in March, 2007.  Squatters that occupy two buildings on 
the site need to be removed by the city, but due to French law 
this can't be done until the spring.  The architect's plans are 
almost done, and Ghoul is seeking financial support for the 
renovations that are needed.  According to Ghoul, the Algerian, 
Moroccan and Tunisian governments are considering in-kind 
contributions rather than cash, with each country taking 
responsibility for something.  CRCM will also soon launch a 
national subscription campaign.  In Nice, the CRCM is 
considering several mosque sites proposed by the city.  This is 
a turnaround from the city's earlier position of opposing a 
mosque in Nice.  Saying Mayor Peyrat "had come a long way," from 
his days as Front National member, Ghoul was confident this 
project was on the right track.  In Cannes, a site has also been 
provided by the city for a new mosque, and Ghoul has been asked 
if the CRCM would allow Interior Minister Sarkozy to lay the 
first stone during a trip he will make to the South of France in 
March.  Given the number of wealthy Muslims from abroad who 
maintain residences in and around Cannes, Ghoul said financing 
the new mosque will be easy. 
 
¶4. (U) Marseille Esperance Bis or Imitation is the Finest 
Flattery 
Ghoul has also been solicited by Christian Estrosi, Minister of 
Public Works and President of the Department of the Alpes 
Maritime (the region around Nice), for help in setting up a 
version of Marseille Esperance for the Alpes Maritime 
Department.  Marseille Esperance is a symbolic organization 
unique in France that was started in the early 1990's by a 
former Mayor of Marseille, Robert Vigoreaux.  It gathers 
together the leaders of all the major faiths in Marseille to 
promote intra-religious dialogue and tolerance.  It has no 
statutory powers but the city provides office space.  While it 
was at the time widely questioned for the way it linked a 
secular institution (the municipality) with religious figures, 
it has shown itself to be a very useful tool for maintaining 
good relations amongst various faith communities and between 
these communities and the city.  Ghoul was very pleased that 
another region was seeking to emulate this organization. 
 
 
MARSEILLE 00000009  002.2 OF 002 
 
 
¶5. (U) Comorians Growing in Strength 
Ghoul said the Comorians are now the second largest Muslim 
community in Marseille, surpassing by a large margin the 
Tunisians and Moroccans.  The Office Director for Ghoul is 
Comorian, and actually spends most of his time in the Comoros 
working for the President.  (NB:  The Comorians are Sunnis of 
the Hanafi school, whereas most Maghrebi Muslims are Sunnis from 
the Maliki school).  Ghoul said they were committed to "making 
things work," and he enjoyed good relations with them. 
 
¶6. (C) Youth are Angry and Impatient 
Ghoul remains concerned that he spends too much time on 
"fire-fighting and not enough on fire prevention."  According to 
Ghoul third-generation Muslims feel French, have no desire to 
leave, and want to fully exercise their rights in France. 
However all too often they either don't know how to work the 
system, or lose their patience and boil over into violence. 
Jobs are crucial to solving this problem of integration because, 
"As soon as they have a job, their behavior changes."   Shaking 
his head, he said sometimes these younger activists confuse 
liberty with the "right to do anything," which leads them to do 
unproductive things.  He gave the example of a local activist in 
a public meeting threatening a sub-prefect that his "people 
would start burning cars," if they didn't get their way.  Iraq 
and anger about US foreign policy in the Middle East only adds 
to their frustration level.  He said many of those he spoke with 
felt the manner in which Saddam Hussein was executed was a 
"calculated insult" to Sunnis around the world, and the ongoing 
impasse between Israel and Palestine weighs heavily on the 
community.  That said, Ghoul said he enjoys excellent relations 
with the local Jewish community. 
BREEDEN