Muslim leader urges Macron not to meddle too much in French Islam

French President Emmanuel Macron visits the museum in Ajaccio, on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica, February 6, 2018. REUTERS/Christophe Petit Tesson/Pool

PARIS (Reuters) - A leading representative of French Muslims urged Emmanuel Macron not to meddle in the organisation of France's second-largest religion, days after the president said he would try to redefine relations between Islam and the state.

The rebuke came from the leader of an organisation set up 15 years ago in a bid to defuse concern about radical preachers and foster a more homegrown form of Islam that would fit better with France's traditional separation of church and state affairs.