French-Moroccan Mohamed Moussaoui, president of the Union of France's Mosques (UMF), was elected, Sunday afternoon, new president of the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), the highest public representation of Islam in this European country.
The members of the Board of Directors of the CFCM, convened at the Grand Mosque in Paris, co-opted a list of personalities to occupy positions of responsibility within the CFCM (president, vice-presidents, secretary general and treasurer).
The post of president went to the one and only French-Moroccan candidate, after the surprise withdrawal on Saturday of the French-Algerian Chems Eddine Hafiz, who announced the withdrawal of his candidacy to devote himself to his new duties as rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris.
Created in 2003 by the French government to be the interlocutor of the public authorities for all matters related to Islam, the CFCM brings together federations of different sensitivities. France is home to over 6 million Muslims.