(Reuters, July 10, 2002)

PARIS (Reuters) - Integrating France's Muslims, the largest Islamic community in Europe, into secular French society is a top priority for the new center-right government, Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy said in an interview Wednesday.

Sarkozy told the newspaper Le Figaro he wanted to bring Islam into the mainstream of French society by fostering a "French Islam" combining Islam's moral values with respect for France's civic traditions.

"The question of integrating a French Islam into our republic is crucial," the minister, who took office last month, said in a review of his policy priorities. "But we will never invite (Islamic) fundamentalism to be a part of our republic."

France, a strictly secular state, is home to about five million Muslims, mostly of North African origin. Many live in poorer suburbs and complain they suffer discrimination, even if they are French-born with full citizenship rights.

Ethnic and religious splits among them have deadlocked attempts to organize all Muslims into a national organization to negotiate with the state on issues like Islamic schooling, charity organizations or permits for building mosques.

France's Catholics, Protestants and Jews all have such groups but the Muslim community has no comparable hierarchy that would fit into this pattern.

Elections for an umbrella body for French Muslims have been postponed several times amid fears that extremist minorities planned to grab power and threaten the state. The vote is now due to take place in September or October.

"Orthodox religious practice is not necessarily against our civic values," said Sarkozy, who has made the fight against crime and delinquency his highest priority.

"This religion can help us because it has its own values. It could especially help us to provide a response to the total loss of orientation seen among some delinquent youths."