France is famously strict on enforcing what it calls 'laicite': keeping religion out of the public sphere. Yet more than 7,500 private schools receive government funding, and most are Catholic. In a country where about 1 in 10 people are Muslim, just three Muslim high schools receive state support ' or did. In December 2023, local authorities of the French Ministry of the Interior confirmed a decision to revoke state funding from Lycee Averroes, France's largest and most acclaimed private Muslim high school. Authorities cited 'serious breaches of the fundamental principles of the Republic,' raised concerns over certain texts in religious education classes, and accused administrators of opaque financial management, among various alleged infractions. Lycee Averroes, located in the suburbs of Lille, opened in 2003 and was granted state funding in 2008. In 2013, it was named the best high school in France, according to the Parisien newspaper's rankings, and has consistently ranked among...
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