France prevented some Muslim imams from entering the country to participate in an Islamic conference next month after serial of shootings of an al Qaeda-inspired gunman, government officials said on Thursday.

"The government decided to ban the entry to France of five foreign people invited to the congress of the Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF)...," Foreign Minister Alain Juppe and Inerior Minister Claude Gueant said in a joint statement.

Akrima Sabri, Ayed Bin Abdallah Al Qarni, Safwat Al Hijazi and Abdallah Basfar were refused to enter to French territory while Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian cleric based in Qatar who is one of the most prominent Sunni Muslim clerics in the Arab world, abandoned the visit.

"The positions and statements made by these people who call for hatred and violence seriously undermine the principles of the Republic and, in the actual context, represent a high risk of disturbing the public order," the statement added.

Mohamed Merah, 23, al Qaeda-inspired gunman, claimed responsibility for the killing of three paratroops from ethinic minorities and four Jewish in south France during the last two weeks.

The suspected serial shooter was killed last Thursday when he tried to shoot his way out of his apartment following a 32-hour police siege in Toulouse.

France reiterated its respect of "the freedom of all faiths and is committed to ensuring that the Muslims in France can live their faith freely."

"But while France is hit by extremists who attack in the name of ideologies or misguided beliefs, it is critical that these freedoms are exercised within the framework of law and respect fundamental values," they said.