French Far-Right Concerned About the Role of Paris Grand Mosque in Algerian Economy

The French far right has expressed clear unease regarding the economic and diplomatic role played by the Grand Mosque of Paris on behalf of Algeria, specifically concerning the issuance of halal label certifications for food products exported from Europe to Algeria.

This explicit unease was expressed in a report, checked out by Echorouk, following a debate in the French National Assembly, dated January 6, 2025, addressing what it termed “Islamist infiltration: How to protect republican institutions and prevent the radicalisation of young generations?”

What transpired during the debate resembled a plea to the European Union by the far-right National Rally party, known for its anti-Algerian stance, to confront a sovereign Algerian decision to authorise the Grand Mosque of Paris to issue halal certificates, which allow the export of food products labelled “halal” to Algeria.

The French MP claimed in this regard, saying: “Our Republic must be better protected against the growing influence of certain religious bodies, especially when they overstep their spiritual role to exert economic, diplomatic, or even quasi-sovereign influence.” The right-wing MP continued his claims, stating that the Grand Mosque of Paris “has become, since January 2025, the focus of a serious controversy—legal, economic, and political—in the context of escalating diplomatic tensions with Algeria.”

He explained that, since the end of 2022, the Grand Mosque of Paris has enjoyed an exclusive privilege granted by the Algerian authorities to issue halal certificates for a large number of French products exported to Algeria, including meat, dairy products, biscuits, sweets, and even baby food.

He added that these certificates, which are mandatory and require payment, “constitute a prerequisite for accessing the Algerian market and are, in effect, a special customs right exercised by a French religious body on behalf of a foreign state.”

He argued that this situation significantly hinders trade with the European Union, emphasising that the European Commission has been aware of this issue since 2024.

The MP continued his attack on the Grand Mosque of Paris’s economic role in favor of Algeria, pointing out that this institution is an association that issues halal certificates and is therefore an independent commercial entity, yet it is headed by the same imam and generates millions of euros in revenue, without any clarification of the precise destination of these funds or the rigor of the control processes, according to his inflammatory claims.

The MP asked: “How can the government accept that a French religious body, not authorised by the state, becomes a mandatory economic operator, in violation of the 1905 law (secularism), European competition rules, and our economic sovereignty?”