Kahina Bahloul | |
|---|---|
 Bahloul in 2021 | |
| Title | Imam |
| Personal | |
| Born | 1979 (age 44–45) Paris, France |
| Religion | Islam |
| Nationality | French, Algerian |
| Denomination | |
| School | |
| Organization | |
| Founder of | Fatima Mosque |
Kahina Bahloul (born 1979) is a French imam and Islamic academic. An adherent of Sunni Islam and Sufism, she became the first female imam in France in 2019, when she founded the unisex Fatima Mosque. She advocates liberalization and modernist reforms in Islam, including equal rights for women in Islam, the creation of a distinct French Muslim identity, and an individualist approach to religion and spirituality. Bahloul does not wear a veil, which she sees as a symbol of Islamism. She opposes traditional and conservative interpretations of the Quran and their dominance in the Muslim world.
Born in Paris to an interfaith family, Bahloul grew up in Algeria where she was raised by her Muslim father. He taught her about Islam from a humanist perspective, and her faith was shaken by Islamic fundamentalism and Islamism that took hold during the Algerian Civil War. Bahloul returned to France in 2003 where she worked in insurance. The death of her father in 2009 led her to explore Sufism and become an Islamic academic. Multiple acts of Islamic terrorism in 2015 motivated her to reform and redefine Islam, leading her to found the Fatima Mosque and become an imam.