French Cities Reportedly Finance Mosques Indirectly

Islamist Watch blog yesterday reported that mayors in French cities are indirectly subsidizing mosques by granting long term emphyteutic leases at low, or even nominal, rents to provide land on which the mosques will be constructed. Two of the leases have been the subject of litigation, with mixed results. Other mayors subsidize the cultural activities at mosques. A recent report says that 30% of funding for mosques comes from public treasuries, even though France has a strong secularist tradition.