Muslim Councils

In an attempt to turn back the tide of fundamentalism among France's 5 million Muslims, the government set up the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) in late 2002. The organization was supposed to encourage a homegrown, more liberal strand of Islam and improve communication between the government and the Muslim community. But the CFCM leadership is stacked with traditionalists, and those at the top can't seem to communicate among themselves, much less with the state. By the time Dounia Bouzar, one of just two women on the 17-member board, quit last month, the CFCM had degenerated into a clutch...