Faced with revelations deemed concern for a report on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France, President Emmanuel Macron asked the government this Wednesday, May 21, to submit new proposals to him by early June. These measures will be examined during an exceptional defense council, announces the Élysée, which also promises to make public a detailed report by the end of the week – a rare approach for this type of meeting.
In front of the Senate, the Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau has already sketched some avenues: better coordination of intelligence services, creation of an administrative prosecution to facilitate the dissolutions of organizations, and strengthening the training of public officials. He also mentioned gaps in the traceability of funding linked to this movement.
The report denounces a strategy of “Islamism from below” embodied by the Muslim Brotherhood, representing a threat to national cohesion. He also alerts to the use of social networks to disseminate speeches calling into question republican secularism.
However, voices rise to denounce the risk of amalgams. The Federation of Muslims of France rejects “unfounded accusations” and any affiliation to a foreign political project. For its part, the French Council for Muslim worship (CFCM) alerts to a “prejudicial confusion” for Muslim citizens, while Jean-Luc Mélenchon estimates that “Islamophobia crosses a threshold”.
