PARIS, 13 July 2003 — French educational authorities have given their green light to the creation of the Lycee Averroes in the city of Lille in northern France in September. The School will be France’s first Muslim high school.
The school is being named quite symbolically for a 12th century doctor and philosopher, Abu al-Walid ibn Ruchd — “Averroes” — whose interpretation of Aristotelian metaphysics in the light of the Qu’ran exercised a profound influence on Christian European thought in the Middle Ages.
But, as the Muslim school is being situated close to the imposing campus of the 19th century Universite Catholique de Lille, the idea didn’t seem to sit well with Lille city fathers. As a result Lycee Averroes was told three times by regional educational authorities that it could not open come Autumn for a series of mysterious “security”. But, not one to take such diktats lying down, Mameche decided to short-circuit the adamant position demonstrated by local educational officials and chose to take the issue to the educational ministry that gave permission of the opening.
Given all the negative publicity accorded to opening of the Muslim high school in the city of Lille in particular, only seventeen students have signed up so far for the lycee’s first class, although there are thirty-one places available. “Which is why,” he says, “we’re extending the signing up period to the end of summer, especially that we now have formal authorization from the French national educational system to operate and offer courses just as if we were any other French lycee.”
The only difference, he says, is that students, who will be subject to a basic curriculum devoted largely to the sciences, will have the option of taking courses in Arabic language and Islamic civilization. Also, adds Mameche, “we will impose no rules as to the wearing of the Islamic headscarf, students can do what they want, those who want to wear it will be able to do so, those who don’t certainly won’t be penalized.”
“We’re looking for students from all religions, not only Muslim, and wouldn’t mind having some who are Jewish or Catholic”, adds Mameche.
