France considers "Muslim Brotherhood" a national security threat

Protesters during a rally against Islamophobia in Paris, May 11, 2025. Photo: AFP

On May 21, 2025, during a meeting of the Council of Defense and National Security of France, President Macron was officially presented with a Report on the activities of the movement "Muslim Brotherhood" in the country. The declassified version of the report was published by Le Figaro.

The document was prepared at the request of the government and highlights the threat that, according to the authors, the activities of the "Muslim Brotherhood" pose to national unity and the secular foundations of the French Republic.

The 73-page report is the result of several months of research and interviews with experts, officials, diplomats, and representatives of religious organizations.

The authors of the report draw attention to an extensive network of organizations associated with the Federation of Muslims of France. According to official data, it manages 139 mosques, with another 68 considered affiliated with it. Their activities extend beyond religious practice and encompass areas such as education, social assistance, and Islamic financing. Essentially, this is about a formed ecosystem aimed at controlling the daily lives of the Muslim community from birth to death.

The network includes 21 schools with more than 4,200 students, five of which collaborate with the state. The report also mentions 815 Quran schools, where about 66,000 children are educated; a third of them are linked to fundamentalist trends in Islam.

Particular attention is paid to the ideological influence of the "Muslim Brotherhood" through social media. Using platforms like YouTube, TikTok, and Instagram, preachers of the "Muslim Brotherhood" adapt religious and political messages for a youth audience. This approach allows them to quickly reach large masses, especially among teenagers and young Muslims, forming an alternative value system opposed to secular norms.

The publication Le Monde reports that French President Emmanuel Macron, responding to the report on the activities of the "Muslim Brotherhood," stated: "The seriousness of the established facts requires decisive action from us. I have instructed the government to prepare specific proposals that will be considered at the next meeting of the Council of Defense in early June." 

Macron emphasized that the fight is not against Islam as a religion, but against radical manifestations that undermine Republican values. He noted: "We are not fighting Islam, but radicalism that threatens our Republic."

The French Council of Muslim Faith expressed concern that Muslims in France feel under constant suspicion. The organization called for a more measured assessment of threats related to extremism to avoid generalizations and unfair accusations against the entire Muslim community.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that German Muslims called on the authorities to create a "Caliphate of Germany".

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