PARIS (AFP): President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday chaired a security meeting following the publication of a report sounding the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood and the spread of “political Islamism” in France.
The meeting, which was to include the head of government and key ministers, addressed a report that calls for action to address the rising influence of the Islamist movement which it said poses “a threat to national cohesion” in France.
After the meeting, measures will be taken, “some of which will be announced” and others will remain classified, according to the Elysee Palace.
The report, which was commissioned by the government and prepared by two senior civil servants, “clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood” and “proposes ways to address this threat,” said the Elysee Palace.
France and Germany have the biggest Muslim populations among European Union countries.
France’s authorities are eager to prevent any spread of extremist Islamist ideas in a country that has been rocked by a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
Religious radicalization has become a hot-button issue as the political landscape in France is shifting and the far-right is becoming increasingly popular. Critics have condemned what they call the rise of Islamophobia in France.
The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP on Tuesday, pointed to the spread of Islamism “from the bottom up,” adding the phenomenon constituted “a threat in the short to medium term.”
“The movement is present in Europe and its target is clearly Europe,” the Elysee Palace said, adding that it was necessary to “raise awareness within the European Union.”
At the same time, the French presidency stressed, “we are all perfectly aligned in saying that we must not lump all Muslims together.”
“We are fighting against Islamism and its radical excesses,” added the presidency.
The report zeroed in on the role of Muslims in France (Musulmans de France), which it identified as “the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France.”
The Federation of Muslims of France denounced “unfounded accusations” and warned against “dangerous” conflation between Islam and radicalism.
“We firmly reject any allegation that attempts to associate us with a foreign political project or an ‘entryism’ strategy,” it said.
“This ideological interpretation does not reflect our institutional reality or our work on the ground,” the federation said, adding it was committed to France’s values.
“Even unintentional conflations between Islam, political Islamism and radicalism are not only dangerous but counterproductive for the Republic itself,” said Muslims in France.
“Behind these unfounded accusations lies a stigmatization of Islam and Muslims.”
The “constant accusation shapes minds, fuels fears and, sadly, contributes to violent acts,” it added, pointing to the death of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old Malian who was stabbed dozens of times while praying in a mosque in southern France.
Conservative daily Le Figaro, which first published excerpts of the “shocking” report on Tuesday, said the Muslim Brotherhood “wants to introduce Sharia law in France.”
France’s tough-talking Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau expressed a similar concern, pointing to “a low-level Islamism.”
The report said however that “no recent document demonstrates the desire of Muslims in France to establish an Islamic state in France or to enforce Sharia law there.”
But the threat was real, the authors said.
“We are not dealing with aggressive separatism” but a “subtle…yet no less subversive aim for the institutions.”
Macron’s party wants to ban minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public spaces, saying the hijab “seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children.”
The party also wants to introduce a “criminal offense for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil.”
Critics see the headscarf worn by Muslim women as a symbol of creeping Islamization after deadly jihadist attacks in France, while others say they are just practicing their religion and should wear what they want.
