Soheib Bencheikh is an intellectual and Moslem Théologien (born in 1961 with Djeddah, Saudi Arabia).

Old large Mufti of the Mosque of Marseilles, researcher in Islamic science and president of the Council of reflection and action on Islam (CORAI) and director of the Institute of higher learning of Islamic sciences (ISSI), Soheib Bencheikh is one of the Moslems the most known progressists in France.

Its biography

Born in 1961 with Djeddah, in Saudi Arabia, of a family of Imams Algeria NS, Soheib Bencheikh studied Islamic theology with the Université Al-Azhar of the Cairo and obtained a doctorate in religious studies of the practical École of the high studies (EPHE) to Paris. In 1995, it is named large mufti for the town of Marseilles by Dalil Boubaker, vice-chancellor of the Mosquée of Paris Since 2003, he is member of the French Conseil of the Muslim cult (date of its creation).

Its engagement

Bencheikh is not a religious leader. On the other hand it is engaged in a combat anti fundamentalist. It adheres to the values Démocratie and Laïcité and defends them with strength. He pleads so that the Moslems of Europe live as citizens in the European company by an adoption without preconditions of the civil laws. Bencheikh denounces the drift wahhabite and salafist, “of the groups who want to impose a single interpretation, literal and obscurantist of the texts”. In its eyes, Tariq Ramadan preaches a vision dilettante and fundamentalist of Islam: “It is not a Théologie informed N, but it is a charismatic powerful orator . It defends a totalitarian vision , integrist, it is a crime to put it in contact with youth” (Parisian the - 1/17/04).

It is moreover very known for its participation in the dialogs inter-monk.

He is the author of the Great Religions and Marianne and the Prophet: Islam in secularity . He is member of the committee of sponsorship of the French Coordination for the Decade of the culture of peace and non-violence. He preaches a reform of Islam passing by “a work of desacralization, by a second reading of the texts in the light of the modern intelligence”.

February 16th, 2004, a proclamation is published in the daily newspaper Libération for a “alive secularity” signed women and men, of Moslem culture - agnostic believers, , or atheistic -, “against the Misogynie, the Homophobie, the Antisémitisme and political Islam”. Bencheikh belongs to the signatories of this proclamation which will take the name of “Manifeste of freedoms”.

2004: the law on the religious signs at the school

Bencheikh clearly decided in favor of the law against the religious signs at the school. The veil is for him, “a false route for the young girls”. He affirms that “the protection of the woman today, it is the instruction and education”.

2006: the international crisis related to the caricatures of Mahomet

At the time of the international crisis related to the caricatures of Mahomet, Soheib Bencheikh stated to be “against any legal action or demonstration” against the publication of the caricatures. According to him “freedom of expression is crowned” . During the emission on LCP, the chain of the National Assembly, the 2/12/06, he condemns the step of the president of the MRAP, Mouloud Aounit, and declares vis-a-vis this one that it is essential to defend the Freedom of expression: “I find inadmissible to remain the hostage of a horde of fanatics who, instead of answering by the dialog, answer by violence” . “It is thanks to freedom of expression that Islam is defended, that myself I can constantly and when I want to expose my message. ” adds it.

Its candidature for presidential the 2007

The May 4th 2006 in Marseilles, it announces its candidature for the presidential election of 2007 to denounce the peopolisation of the political debate. He becomes thus the 17th official candidate but does not request the 500 necessary signatures and declares on its Internet site:

Pour to be candidate with the presidential election, it is enough to be declared, to enter the race to the Elysium, one needs 500 signatures… It is the democracy with the Frenchwoman, and as already Aristote underlined it, " the politeia, because it is the least good of the modes degenerates into democracy, which is the least bad of the régimes"