How the French far-right uses COVID-19 against the Muslim Brotherhood

Abul Fadl El-Esnawy

As the British and German far-right hold Muslims responsible for the spread of COVID-19 in European countries, accusing them of violating government decrees, which banned going to mosques, the French far-right extremists are calling for kicking out migrants and excluding minorities from health care benefits for the coronavirus treatment.

A recent security document revealed by the West Midland police, which is in charge of security in central England, said that some European far-right groups had discussed the possibility of using COVID-19 against Muslims and migrants.

That raises a question: How the French far-right is using the coronavirus crisis to threaten the Muslim Brotherhood’s presence in France?

The far-right groups have launched platforms on the Internet to gain support inside France for banning Islamic organizations?

The call of the French far-right is not new as it declared that a few months ago, and during the presidential elections, when it accused the Islamists of voting for French President Emmanuel Macron.

In the short term, there will be some negative impacts on the Muslim Brotherhood in the meantime in a way that would rein in its activities in France, especially on the financial level. There will also be a tough security control on the Brotherhood’s activities.

That would rein in the Brotherhood’s political mobilization and halt the expansion of religious organizations and impact conferences, seminars mosque gatherings.

In the long run, the issue will depend on the results if the postponed municipal polls. If the extreme right wins the municipal elections in France in the second stage, the Muslim Brotherhood would be in a tough situation in France.

Consequently, the far-right’s calls to dissolve the Islamic organizations and kick out the Brotherhood from France will gain momentum.  In 2017, presidential candidate Marine Le Pen declared a strategy to combat extremism by disbanding the Islamic organizations in France.

In conclusion, we can say that the far-right will take advantage of the coronavirus crisis ahead of the second stage of the French municipal polls and the next presidential elections. The far-right aims at taking advantage of those European citizens, who are afraid of terrorist operations.

The extreme right is seeking to make gains to lure supporters of their ideas, programs and slogans against the Muslim Brotherhood. The far-right has associated between the Brotherhood and the spread of COVID-19 pandemic, citing that the political Islamist groups had violated the government’s decrees that banned gatherings. That will fuel the conflict among organizations which support the Muslim Brotherhood in France.