“Secularism: when the Catholic private school walks on eggshells with Muslim students,”  Marie-Estelle Pech, Marianne, May 3, 2023 

Even though enrollment in Catholic contract schools is primarily motivated by a strategy of social advancement, Muslim families who enroll their children there sometimes also do so out of rejection of the public school and its secular supervision. They believe that the “Catholics” are more tolerant….

In Roubaix, they make up the majority of its student body. In the northern districts of Marseille, the private Catholic school Saint-Joseph-Viala has almost 100% Muslim pupils. In the Catholic schools in Seine-Saint-Denis, it is over 50%.

“Since the late 1960s, the admission of ‘non-Christian pupils’ in Catholic schools has led the Church to consider this issue,” notes Sébastien Vida, a doctoral student in education, in a study published in October 2022 in the journal Hommes & Migrations. After some hesitation, Catholic education issued a guide for its leaders in 2011: “Muslims in Catholic schools.” If the institution allows the provision of a prayer room, it must obey clear rules “with times for accessibility and days.” However, “in the face of radical influences, it is better to respond negatively to any request in order to avoid a source of conflict.” Can students attend certain catechism classes? “Remember that the decision of these families is often related to talking to their children about their religion and being respected as Muslims.”…

If one believes the Catholic teaching, which is apparently not quite confident, one should not “mix Islam with the cultural, identitarian and religious reaction of young people.” It is recommended to involve a mosque or association leader, which would be unthinkable in the public sphere. How to deal with students who refuse to go to the swimming pool during Ramadan? While the guide reminds us of the obligation to attend regularly, it suggests again to call in a “Muslim authority” in case of persistent behavior. Catholic institutions have to deal with these difficult issues on a daily basis.