Latest news with #MusulmansdeFrance
Morocco World
3 days ago
- General
- Morocco World
France Opens Investigation After Suspect Steals, Burns Quran
Rabat – French police have opened an investigation after receiving a complaint condemning the Islamophobic act of an individual reported to have targeted a new mosque in the Villeurbanne district in Lyon. AFP quoted a police source as confirming that French security services received a complaint against a man who entered a mosque to steal a copy of the Quran and set it on fire over the past weekend. Mayor of Villeurbanne Cedric Van Styvendael condemned the act, describing it as another reprehensible Islamophobic attack in his city he described as peace-loving and tolerant. He also expressed his support for the city's Muslims, especially the community of faithful at the targeted mosque. The online collective 'Musulmans de France' also expressed full solidarity with the Conseil des Mosquées du Rhone and the Errahma mosque in Villeurbanne, which was targeted in the new Islamophobic act. 'The burning of a copy of the Quran, just minutes before the dawn prayer, is part of a troubling wave of attacks against Muslims in France,' the group said, noting a remarkable increase in Islamophobic acts in France over the past few years. 'This is not a random incident — it is a direct attack on freedom of worship and the dignity of millions of citizens. We call for firm measures and exemplary prosecution. It is time to act with responsibility,' Musulmans de France said . In recent months, France has been the theater of national marches against racism and Islamophobia. The marches and rallies came after the heinous Islamophobic attack that Olivier A. carried out against a Muslim man inside a mosque in France. The defendant stabbed Aboubakar Cisse, a Muslim living in France, around 40 to 50 times while he was praying. He also insulted God, Islam, and Muslims as he filmed his horrific murder. Following the Islamophobic attack, many other mosques and Muslims have faced similar attacks over the past months. In May, French police opened an investigation after a man left a voicemail in which he threatened to slit the throats of Muslim targets. 'You are filthy Muslim sh****(…). You want to play the victims, filthy pigs… We're going to slit your throats,' the caller said on the phone's voicemachine, according to Le Parisian. Tags: France islamophobiaIslamophobia in Europe
Yahoo
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Government-commissioned report says Muslim Brotherhood posing threat to French unity
By Juliette Jabkhiro PARIS (Reuters) -President Emmanuel Macron convened senior ministers on Wednesday to address a state-commissioned report that accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of waging a covert campaign via local proxies to subvert France's secular values and institutions. The report called for action to halt what it called a slow-burning spread of "political Islam" posing a threat to social cohesion, drawing swift criticism from members of the Muslim community and some academics. Under mounting pressure from a rising far-right opposition, Macron has undertaken a crackdown on what he calls Islamist separatism by seeking to limit foreign influence over Muslim institutions and communities. Now, presidential advisers say Macron wants to tackle what they frame as a long-term Islamist plan to infiltrate state institutions and change them from within. "The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, highlights the risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions," said an excerpt of the report, a copy of which Reuters obtained. The government has said it will not publish the report in full. Macron ordered ministers to draw up measures in response to the report for another government meeting in June. The report said the Islamist campaign was focusing on schools, mosques and local non-governmental organisations, with the aim of influencing rule-making at local and national levels, notably concerning secularism and gender equality. The report describes the Musulmans de France (Muslims of France) association as the "national branch" of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Islamist organisation that was founded in Egypt in 1928 as part of a movement to end colonial rule. The Brotherhood's stated goal is to establish sharia (Islamic law) through peaceful political means. It is banned in several Arab countries including Egypt. DENIAL OF MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LINK Musulmans de France denies belonging to the Brotherhood, according to the report. Its leader was not immediately available for comment. Azzedine Gaci, head of the Villeurbanne mosque near Lyon that is cited in the report, denied ties with the Brotherhood and said the report was a "slap in the face" after he has worked in close collaboration with French authorities for years. Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the report underlined a clear threat from the Muslim Brotherhood. "Its ultimate goal is to shift all of French society to sharia," he said. France's Muslim population numbers over 6 million, the largest in Europe. The report's conclusions stated that no recent evidence indicated Musulmans de France wished to establish an Islamic state in France or enforce sharia. Haoues Seniguer, a researcher specialising in political Islam, said that while Musulmans de France held a conservative vision of Islam, it had no ambition to transform French society into an Islamic one. "In the public debate and politicians' words, there is a tendency to act as if the distant heirs of the Muslim Brotherhood today had the exact same views as the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. (This) makes absolutely no sense." Macron denies stigmatising Muslims and says Islam has a place in French society. However, civic rights and Muslim groups say the government is increasingly impinging on religious freedom, making it harder for Muslims to express their identity. They cite a crackdown on several Muslim schools as an example. "Our teachings have always been respectful of republican values," Makhlouf Mameche, head of the National Federation for Muslim Education, told Reuters. "Our goal is to make sure our pupils succeed."
The Star
21-05-2025
- Politics
- The Star
Government-commissioned report says Muslim Brotherhood posing threat to French unity
FILE PHOTO: French police stand in front of the Grand Mosque of Paris as security was reinforced around places of worship within France following days of protests over the war in Gaza, October 13, 2023. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/File Photo PARIS (Reuters) -President Emmanuel Macron convened senior ministers on Wednesday to address a state-commissioned report that accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of waging a covert campaign via local proxies to subvert France's secular values and institutions. The report called for action to halt what it called a slow-burning spread of "political Islam" posing a threat to social cohesion, drawing swift criticism from members of the Muslim community and some academics. Under mounting pressure from a rising far-right opposition, Macron has undertaken a crackdown on what he calls Islamist separatism by seeking to limit foreign influence over Muslim institutions and communities. Now, presidential advisers say Macron wants to tackle what they frame as a long-term Islamist plan to infiltrate state institutions and change them from within. "The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, highlights the risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions," said an excerpt of the report, a copy of which Reuters obtained. The government has said it will not publish the report in full. Macron ordered ministers to draw up measures in response to the report for another government meeting in June. The report said the Islamist campaign was focusing on schools, mosques and local non-governmental organisations, with the aim of influencing rule-making at local and national levels, notably concerning secularism and gender equality. The report describes the Musulmans de France (Muslims of France) association as the "national branch" of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Islamist organisation that was founded in Egypt in 1928 as part of a movement to end colonial rule. The Brotherhood's stated goal is to establish sharia (Islamic law) through peaceful political means. It is banned in several Arab countries including Egypt. DENIAL OF MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD LINK Musulmans de France denies belonging to the Brotherhood, according to the report. Its leader was not immediately available for comment. Azzedine Gaci, head of the Villeurbanne mosque near Lyon that is cited in the report, denied ties with the Brotherhood and said the report was a "slap in the face" after he has worked in close collaboration with French authorities for years. Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the report underlined a clear threat from the Muslim Brotherhood. "Its ultimate goal is to shift all of French society to sharia," he said. France's Muslim population numbers over 6 million, the largest in Europe. The report's conclusions stated that no recent evidence indicated Musulmans de France wished to establish an Islamic state in France or enforce sharia. Haoues Seniguer, a researcher specialising in political Islam, said that while Musulmans de France held a conservative vision of Islam, it had no ambition to transform French society into an Islamic one. "In the public debate and politicians' words, there is a tendency to act as if the distant heirs of the Muslim Brotherhood today had the exact same views as the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. (This) makes absolutely no sense." Macron denies stigmatising Muslims and says Islam has a place in French society. However, civic rights and Muslim groups say the government is increasingly impinging on religious freedom, making it harder for Muslims to express their identity. They cite a crackdown on several Muslim schools as an example. "Our teachings have always been respectful of republican values," Makhlouf Mameche, head of the National Federation for Muslim Education, told Reuters. "Our goal is to make sure our pupils succeed." (Reporting by Juliette Jabkhiro; editing by Richard Lough and Mark Heinrich)
Reuters
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Government-commissioned report says Muslim Brotherhood posing threat to French unity
PARIS, May 21 (Reuters) - President Emmanuel Macron convened senior ministers on Wednesday to address a state-commissioned report that accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of waging a covert campaign via local proxies to subvert France's secular values and institutions. The report called for action to halt what it called a slow-burning spread of "political Islam" posing a threat to social cohesion, drawing swift criticism from members of the Muslim community and some academics. Under mounting pressure from a rising far-right opposition, Macron has undertaken a crackdown on what he calls Islamist separatism by seeking to limit foreign influence over Muslim institutions and communities. Now, presidential advisers say Macron wants to tackle what they frame as a long-term Islamist plan to infiltrate state institutions and change them from within. "The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, highlights the risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions," said an excerpt of the report, a copy of which Reuters obtained. The government has said it will not publish the report in full. Macron ordered ministers to draw up measures in response to the report for another government meeting in June. The report said the Islamist campaign was focusing on schools, mosques and local non-governmental organisations, with the aim of influencing rule-making at local and national levels, notably concerning secularism and gender equality. The report describes the Musulmans de France (Muslims of France) association as the "national branch" of the Muslim Brotherhood, a global Islamist organisation that was founded in Egypt in 1928 as part of a movement to end colonial rule. The Brotherhood's stated goal is to establish sharia (Islamic law) through peaceful political means. It is banned in several Arab countries including Egypt. Musulmans de France denies belonging to the Brotherhood, according to the report. Its leader was not immediately available for comment. Azzedine Gaci, head of the Villeurbanne mosque near Lyon that is cited in the report, denied ties with the Brotherhood and said the report was a "slap in the face" after he has worked in close collaboration with French authorities for years. Ahead of Wednesday's meeting, hardline Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau said the report underlined a clear threat from the Muslim Brotherhood. "Its ultimate goal is to shift all of French society to sharia," he said. France's Muslim population numbers over 6 million, the largest in Europe. The report's conclusions stated that no recent evidence indicated Musulmans de France wished to establish an Islamic state in France or enforce sharia. Haoues Seniguer, a researcher specialising in political Islam, said that while Musulmans de France held a conservative vision of Islam, it had no ambition to transform French society into an Islamic one. "In the public debate and politicians' words, there is a tendency to act as if the distant heirs of the Muslim Brotherhood today had the exact same views as the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928. (This) makes absolutely no sense." Macron denies stigmatising Muslims and says Islam has a place in French society. However, civic rights and Muslim groups say the government is increasingly impinging on religious freedom, making it harder for Muslims to express their identity. They cite a crackdown on several Muslim schools as an example. "Our teachings have always been respectful of republican values," Makhlouf Mameche, head of the National Federation for Muslim Education, told Reuters. "Our goal is to make sure our pupils succeed."
Local France
21-05-2025
- Politics
- Local France
Muslim Brotherhood ‘threat to national cohesion' in France: report
'The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, poses a risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions... and, more broadly, to national cohesion,' said the report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Tuesday. The report, prepared by two senior civil servants, is to be examined by the Defence Council on Wednesday. France and Germany have the biggest Muslim populations among European Union countries. The report pointed to the spread of Islamism 'from the bottom up' and at the municipal level, adding the phenomenon constituted, 'a threat in the short to medium term'. In France, the movement is 'based on a solid structure, but political Islamism is spreading primarily at the local level,' the authors stressed. 'Resolute and long-term action on the ground seems necessary to stem the rise of political Islamism,' they said. The report highlighted the 'subversive nature of the project', saying it aims 'to gradually bring about changes to local or national rules', particularly those concerning secularism and gender equality. 'Municipal Islamism' risks affecting the public sphere and local politics, the report said, pointing to 'the creation of increasingly numerous Islamist ecosystems'. Advertisement The report authors stressed that 'no recent document demonstrates the desire of Muslims in France to establish an Islamic state in France or to enforce Sharia law there'. Musulmans de France (Muslims in France), formerly the Union of Islamic Organisations of France, is identified as 'the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France'. 'We are not dealing with aggressive separatism' but a 'subtle (...) yet no less subversive aim for the institutions,' the authors of the report said. It contradicts France's Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who had expressed concern on Tuesday about 'a low-level Islamism' whose 'ultimate goal is to turn the entire French society to Sharia law'. The report estimates there are 139 places of worship affiliated with Musulmans de France, with an additional 68 considered close to the federation. Advertisement This represents seven percent of the 2,800 Muslim places of worship listed in France, the report said. The Islamist movement is losing its influence in the Arab world and 'focusing its efforts on Europe', it added. A public awareness campaign must be combined with renewed efforts to promote a 'secular discourse' as well as 'strong and positive signals to the Muslim community' including the teaching of Arabic, the report said.
