EU Chief Michel Calls for European Institute for Imam Training

EU President Charles Michel calls for the creation of a European institute for the training of imams. This is necessary to “combat the ideology of hatred,” he said in Vienna on Monday.

He was there to commemorate the victims of the terrorist attack on November 3. Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz was also present at the commemoration ceremony.

“It is essential to be strict about this. We should have a debate at European level about the idea that came up some time ago to establish a European institute to train imams,” said Michel.

At the beginning of this month, a jihadist gunman in Vienna’s historic city centre killed four people. In October, France faced two extreme incidents of violence. In Nice, three people were killed when a Tunisian attacked people inside a church.

The beheading of teacher Samuel Paty in a Paris suburb earlier in October caused shocked reactions. The teacher had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad during a lesson on freedom of speech.

The leaders of France, Austria and Germany will discuss the recent jihadist terror threat in the EU on Tuesday with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission.

They are looking for a typical European response to the new wave of attacks. French President Emmanuel Macron wants better security of the European borders.