Kahina Bahloul

Kahina Bahloul 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.