The French government entrusted the former French ambassador to Algeria, François Gouyette, along with another official, with the task of completing a report on “Political Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood Movement“. The French Ministry of Interior stated in a press release that Gouyette, who held positions in several Arab countries, and Pascal Courtade, a prefect, were tasked with “assessing the influence of political Islam in France.” This mission comes within the framework of France’s efforts to combat what is referred to as Islamic separatism, which the French President addressed in a speech in 2020, leading to the enactment of the “Principles and Values of the Republic” law in 2021.
The French Ministry of Interior stated in its press release that “Islamic separatism is a theoretical political-religious project characterized by repeated deviations from the principles of the Republic with the aim of building a counter-society,” adding that “the Muslim Brotherhood movement plays a key role in spreading such an ideological system.” Gouyette left Algeria at the end of July 2023 after three years of service as ambassador. During his tenure in Algeria, he had several meetings with leaders of political parties, including those ideologically aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood movement, such as the Movement for the Society of Peace and the National Building Movement.
According to the plan initiated by the Minister of Interior, a report “identifying the situation of the influence of Political Islam in France” is expected to be submitted this autumn. The mission also aims to analyze “the objectives and methods of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in this context, and to adapt the current means of combating separatism to address them.” This is not the first French action against the Muslim Brotherhood, as it was preceded by a financial crackdown a year ago, specifically in mid-May 2023. The French newspaper “Le Figaro” reported at that time that “the Directorate-General for Internal Security (French internal intelligence) identified at least 20 suspicious endowment funds linked to political Islam in France.” The newspaper quoted a senior French official familiar with the problem as saying, „these funds were established in 2008 to direct private funds towards activities of public interest, and these funds have not been monitored by the French authorities.” According to the newspaper, the funds were illegally invested in “prayer rooms” to ensure the operation and maintenance of mosques known to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood. The same source stated that the French authorities froze eight out of the 20 funds, including four for which judicial evidence required their dissolution, including the European Fund for Muslim Women and the Canadian Fund.
According to information obtained by the French newspaper “Europe 1”, French intelligence expressed concern about the infiltration of the Muslim Brotherhood into Brussels through organizations claiming to be “independent”. In reality, European structures are penetrated by organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, such as the umbrella organization FEMYSO, which includes 33 organizations in about 20 countries. The president of the organization in France, Hanane Shallal, seeks to highlight young cadres of the Muslim Brotherhood, especially teachers, doctors, and engineers, to spread “Brotherhood thought” among “European institutions and officials,” according to intelligence documents. The Muslim Brotherhood exploits the significant rise of the far-right, as it allows them to justify their concept of “Islamophobia,” claiming that Paris is the capital of racism. According to French regional intelligence, the Muslim Brotherhood organization has more than 50,000 supporters, 150 places of worship, 18 educational buildings, 280 local movements and associations, not to mention an educational network ranging from colleges and high schools to higher education, with European institutes for „human sciences“, all organized by a national union for private Islamic education, established in 2014.
A European media report revealed the presence of approximately 100,000 members of the Muslim Brotherhood in France, highlighting them as a significant threat to the security of the European country. French writer and researcher Hélène de Lauson shed light on the growing influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France in an article published by European Conservative. She stated, „since 2019, the number of organization members in France has increased from 50,000 to 100,000, and it has a very strong influence, as confirmed by an intelligence expert to the French newspaper ‘Journal du Dimanche,’ which dedicated its front page to statements by Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, as the newspaper had the opportunity to attend the meeting between the minister and intelligence agencies regarding the stance on Islamism.”
De Lauson pointed out the increasing evidence of the Muslim Brotherhood’s penetration into French life on an almost daily basis. Within 10 years, the percentage of veiled Muslim women doubled, allowing for discussions about a coordinated cultural Islamization process. She mentioned deliberate signs of this Islamization, such as the increasing popularity of garments like the abaya, the appearance of religious demands in workplaces and swimming pools, and the growth of what is known as “halal trade.” De Lauson concluded her article by discussing the necessary measures to be taken, including addressing the issue of dissolving the Muslim Brotherhood organization. She believes this solution is impossible because the group does not officially exist. She noted that despite its lack of official status, the shadow of the Muslim Brotherhood still looms over many structures and organizations within French territory, such as the Muslim Association of France, whose president, Amar Lasfar, declared in 2017 that it is not part of the Muslim Brotherhood but belongs to its intellectual school. De Lauson affirmed that a few years ago, the Endowment Fund belonging to the association clearly stated its affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood in its activity report before deleting it, describing this as “taqiyya,” a practice mastered by these structures, indicating that the government has the necessary means to dissolve some of these organizations but lacks the will to do so.
The Muslim Brotherhood has benefited from French law allowing religious denominations to open schools teaching the official curriculum of the French Ministry of Education, alongside teaching religious subjects prohibited by the 1905 secularism law, prompting the organization to establish the National Federation of Private Islamic Education (Fnem) in 2014. Through this federation, the Muslim Brotherhood has become akin to the official representative of private Islamic education, discussing religious education issues aimed at Muslims in official parliamentary and governmental sessions. Official representation of Muslims is one of the most important goals of the group’s activities in Europe and a manifestation of its empowerment. The union finances its activities through donations from the Muslim community, as well as grants from some non-governmental organizations in France and Europe, in addition to support from the Muslim Brotherhood through the Union of Islamic Organizations in France. The union is led by Mokhtar Mamsh, who also serves as the vice president of the Union of Islamic Organizations in France and is responsible for the private Islamic education file within the union, making him one of the prominent faces of the Muslim Brotherhood in France. Alongside the establishment of the Brotherhood Federation, the European Federation for Private Islamic Education was founded in 2016, affiliated with the Turkish movement Milli Görüs, considered the European wing of the Turkish political Islam movement, founded by the Turkish Islamist Necmettin Erbakan in 1969. The main goal of the Turkish federation is to “establish a network of institutions across France and then Europe,” initially comprising about 19 educational institutions within France.
France has one of the largest Muslim communities in Europe, estimated at around 6 million Muslims living in the country, the largest number in Europe. The overwhelming majority of French Muslims come from the Arab Maghreb countries, with 43.2% from Algeria, 27.5% from Morocco, 11.4% from Tunisia, 9.3% from Sub-Saharan Africa, 8.6% from Turkey, and 0.1% French converted to Islam, totaling about 70,000. The Muslim Brotherhood has been working to establish a financial and intellectual empire since 1978, aiming to deepen its presence and enhance its influence in French society. The organization has established mutually beneficial relationships with several political parties in France. France hosts over 250 Islamic associations across its territory, including 51 associations working for the Muslim Brotherhood, in addition to organizations like the Collective Against Islamophobia, the Faith and Practice Association, the Center for Studies and Research on Islam, the European Institute for Human Sciences, and the Ibn Sina Institute for Imams’ Graduation. These associations engage in political activities and work for extremist groups, with the Union of Islamic Organizations in France or “Muslims of France” currently being one of the most influential unions in France, founded in the Mort et Moselle region in June 1983.
According to the French newspaper “Figaro,” the French General Directorate of Internal Security identified about 20 private endowment funds considered to engage in suspicious financing activities. Leaked investigation reports revealed that these funds were established in 2008 to collect private donations, as endowment funds were not subject to rigorous scrutiny by the authorities. Political Islam exploited these funds to finance its various activities away from the spotlight through a complex and opaque mechanism. The investigation also identified about ten networks controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood extending from the northern city of Lille to the southern city of Marseille, passing through the Paris region and Bordeaux. The deep investigation led to the identification of about 20 endowment funds, with eight of them being frozen.
France intensified its efforts in legislation and regulations in 2021 and 2022 as a continuation of the “Strengthening Republican Values” law. The French government revealed on April 5, 2021, a new anti-terrorism bill to monitor the internet, such as WhatsApp, Signal, and Telegram and expand the use of French intelligence algorithms to track potential terrorists. The French Ministry of the Interior presented a new draft law comprising 19 articles on intelligence and counterterrorism to the cabinet on April 28, 2021, based on a basic arsenal of measures. French intelligence agencies revealed that the Muslim Brotherhood uses recognized non-governmental organizations in France to promote extremist ideas in the country. They infiltrated non-profit organizations by providing financial support and installing their leaders in French society groups. Under the guise of seemingly non-governmental organizations representing the interests of French Muslims, the Muslim Brotherhood was accused of promoting political Islam ideas in the country.
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