French Experts and Politicians Warn of Retailleau’s Racism

Islamologists in France, along with politicians and media professionals, are warning of the dangers of the report on the “Muslim Brotherhood in France,” prepared by the French Interior Ministry, headed by Bruno Retailleau, known for his anti-immigrant stance, particularly against Muslims.

They warn of the dangers of exploiting this report for his narrow political agenda, in anticipation of the 2027 French presidential elections, now that he has become leader of the right-wing party “Les Républicains.”

The concerns of those skeptical about the political exploitation of the report by the French far right stem from the information contained in the report, which mentioned 400 individuals allegedly affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood, as well as desperate attempts to link the Muslim Brotherhood to the Grand Mosque of Paris, which Algeria oversees through the appointment of its dean.

Among these figures is French researcher Franck Frégosi, a specialist in “French Islam”, director of research at the CNRS (National Centre for Scientific Research) and author of “Governing Islam in France” for the Seuil edition.

In an interview with the French daily L’Opinion, he denounced the report based on his conviction that Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau has political ambitions and calculations no longer hidden from anyone.

Franck Frégosi said, “We are talking about the Retailleau’s report. The latter, whose presidential ambitions are well known, skillfully uses it for his political communications, notably by leaking excerpts to Le Figaro on Sunday, May 8.”

The researcher asked, “The report was initially commissioned by Gérald Darmanin over a year ago. The report’s target is the issue of the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and, more broadly, political Islamism in Europe. The rapporteurs and a commission held hearings and travelled in France and abroad. They solicited the views—including mine—of academics and experts on Islamic issues. There’s also a whole section concerning the security services that hasn’t been made public”.

“Let us recall that this report was initially announced as classified, but Minister Retailleau wanted to declassify it. The version I was able to consult raises questions. Is this the report as written by the rapporteurs? Was this version altered under political influence? It is not at all illegitimate for the State to take up this subject, but we must understand a little more precisely the conditions of its production”, he added.

Asked about “the report that speaks of ‘risks,’ ‘dangers,’ and ‘threats’ linked to the ‘Muslim Brotherhood’ movement, but it also provides figures: 400 people are said to constitute the core of this brotherhood. The report mentions 139 places of worship affiliated with the Muslims of France association, the successor to the Union of Islamic Organisations in France (UOIF), itself the successor to the Muslim Brotherhood. The document estimates that 10% of places of worship opened in the period 2010-2020 were affiliated with it, which corresponds to a total of 91,000 worshippers (knowing that a worshipper can attend a mosque without adhering to the “movement,” as the report specifies) who represent 0.01% of the 7.5 million Muslims in France. Do these figures signal a danger?

The researcher specialising in Islam in France responded that “Considering these figures, I confess I don’t understand the nature of this threat. It is important to remember that just because individuals attend a place of worship does not necessarily mean they adhere to the philosophy of the person who created it. The geographic proximity of the mosque largely explains the logic of attendance. Should we consider that 400 people, who supposedly constitute the centre of the Brotherhood, could subvert republican institutions or even Islamize society? This is not credible. Note that the Muslim Brotherhood is losing ground in Muslim countries and that the Muslims of France association, supposedly the heir to the Brotherhood movement, is rather losing ground in our country, if we consider the number of affiliated associations”.

Among the French politicians, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, leader of France Insoumise (Unbowed France), posted on X: “I’m warning. This time, Islamophobia has crossed a threshold. A Defence Council around the President is accrediting the delusional theories of Retailleau and Le Pen. Enough! You’re going to destroy our country. This kind of method has already been applied in the past, first against Protestants and Jews. This leads directly to an unleashing of cruel inquisitions against individuals and is disastrous for the unity of the country. Stop it!”

The dean of the Paris Mosque, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, issued a statement criticising the report’s content and warning that it would create discrimination against French Muslims.