In France, a suburban mosque was closed over imams' calls for jihad
The «Chanteloup» mosque was suspended for six months following accusations of radical preaching.
In a suburb of Paris, French authorities have shut down the «Chanteloup» mosque over radical sermons delivered by its imams. Officials of the prefecture of the Seine-Saint-Denis department suspended the Muslim institution's operations for six months due to calls for violence, glorification of martyrs' deaths, and incitement to hatred. This was reported by EWTN News.
The decision to temporarily halt the organization's activities was made by officials on the basis of a law dating from October 2017. This provision allows prefects to close places of worship if preachers incite hatred or promote terrorist activity.
According to the prefect's statement, the mosque's permanent imams and invited lecturers had been spreading radical Islamist ideology that echoes the rhetoric of terrorist organizations. A video also circulated on social media in which one of the mosque's lecturers called for beating children over the age of 11 for refusing to perform prayer.
The leadership of the religious community challenged the authorities' order in the administrative court of the city of Montreuil. The lawyer for the managing association, Rafik Chekkat, filed an urgent appeal, calling the prefecture's accusations inaccurate and unfounded.
«The prefect of the Seine-Saint-Denis department is holding it against the imam that he cited the surah ‘Al-Baqara’ at the ‘Chanteloup’ mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois in order to justify its administrative closure,» said defense lawyer Rafik Chekkat. «If the court upholds this decision, the Quran itself will become grounds for closure.»
The lawyer reported that the mosque's leadership had already dismissed two imams who accounted for approximately 90 percent of all complaints. Muslims are also seeking to challenge in court the freezing of their bank accounts and the possible dissolution of the managing association. A court hearing took place on August 4, however the mosque continues to operate pending a final verdict.
For the «Chanteloup» mosque, this is already its second closure — in 2019, the prefecture had suspended its operations due to non-compliance with public safety requirements. In total, since 2017, the French Senate has closed seven places of worship under a similar procedure.
As the Union of Orthodox Journalists reported, Sweden has called for closing mosques that spread Islamist propaganda.
