Youness ABOUALI

Thesis project

This research focuses on the training of Muslim religious leaders in France in the context of the fight against radicalization, and the roles they can play in mosques, neighborhoods, and prisons to prevent unrest and ensure peaceful and tolerant coexistence between different belief systems. We have devised a methodological approach based on a combination of two research methods used in the humanities, ethnography and clinical research:

• Establish an inventory of the various private and public programs that currently contribute to this training.
• Investigate the training offered to Muslim religious leaders in France (chaplains, imams) through immersion and support periods in various training programs, using semi-structured and unstructured interviews, participant observation, and data collection via logbooks or life stories.
• Conduct an inventory of the civil and civic education offered by French universities on the history of religions, secularism, and religion.