Islamic separatism in France: Confrontations begin with inspection of mosques and militant imams

Mohamed Yosry

French Interior Minister Gerald Darmannn started the process of confronting the so-called “Islamic separatism” adopted by radical Islamist groups in the country, announcing on Wednesday evening, December 3, the start of an unprecedented campaign to search 76 mosques belonging to these groups in different regions of the country, 18 of which could be vulnerable to immediate measures. The list includes 16 mosques in Paris alone.

The operation comes in light of external and internal political conditions from which the country suffers, reaching the point that protests took place in the streets during the previous two weeks of the memorandum issued by the minister, who has Algerian roots. The Reference reviews the reasons and repercussions.

Background

These confrontations between the French regime and the radical groups is nothing new, as there were signs of this confrontation even before the killing of the 47-year-old French teacher Samuel Patty due to his presentation of cartoons insulting to the Prophet Muhammad (may God bless him and grant him peace) to his students. The perpetrator of the crime, 18-year-old Abdullakh Anzorov, was killed by police shortly after the attack, but the crisis extends beyond that against the backdrop of the spread of mosques funded by political or radical Islamist groups in France that adopt separatist ideas.

Qatari and Turkish funding for radicalization

In recent years, the French authorities have already begun to pay attention to the danger of these groups, and they cling to some strings that confirm the relationship of their members to the parent groups in the Middle East. These groups do not represent Islam but rather represent a certain current that has separatist tendencies even in Islamic countries. France has already monitored security reports of the spread of these groups in urban areas in the neighborhoods of Paris, Rhone-Alpes, Côte d’Azur and Ile-de-France, and these groups also imposed their control over the mosques of Marseille, which became a stronghold of militant movements.

Intelligence reports also revealed the existence of financial links between the members of these groups and foreign parties, especially Qatar and Turkey, in addition to the Kuwaiti Social Reform Society of the Brotherhood, which was founded in June 1963 and was banned by Saudi Arabia in 2018.

Former director of the French Intelligence Agency, Yves Bonnet, told Depeche du Midi in 2012 that “combating political Islam requires closing the sources of foreign funding.”

Intelligence reports also revealed that these groups receive funding from the Qatar Charity Fund and other Qatari sponsors. The Qatar Charitable Foundation was established in 1991, and its board of directors was chaired by Abdullah Muhammad al-Dabbagh, who was forced to resign under heavy pressure from the US administration on Doha, given that it financially supported al-Qaeda, according to information provided by Moroccan Mohamed Louise, a former member of the terrorist Brotherhood.

Most important mosques expected to be inspected

It is expected that the inspection campaign launched by the French interior minister will include most mosques belonging to groups funded from abroad, as he has real information indicating the existence of violations in them. Among the most prominent mosques funded by Qatar:

Dassault Mosque: It is located in Argenteuil and belongs to the Union of French Muslims. It has been proven that it received large donations, amounting to €2 million.

Yutz Mosque in Moselle: The Reims Mosque and the Mosque Association works on its management, which receives funding from the Brotherhood in Qatar, whose management has extensive relations with the Brotherhood leaders in a number of Arab countries, including Tunisia. The mosque presents the books of Sayyid Qutb and Brotherhood leaders such as al-Qaradawi and others.

Villeneuve Dask Mosque: It receives funding directly from the Qatar Charity.

Preemptive campaign

The campaign initiated by the French interior minister represents a proactive implementation of the law promoting the values ​​of the republic, which is expected to be discussed in the French parliament before the end of 2020 and which the government used to call the separatism law of radical groups. The campaign aims not only to monitor mosques, but also to monitor the discourse they present, and whether or not they incite hatred or violence and are consistent with the principles of the French Republic.

The campaign also includes the discourse occurring on social networking sites on the pages of the imams and those in charge of these mosques, whether written or video lessons, and punitive measures will be taken against them.

Axes of the new law

It is expected that the new draft law will focus on 4 main axes, including recalling the great principles of French secularism, human rights (such as equality between men and women), education, and what is related to combating informal schools and pushing Muslims in France to abide by the 1905 law on secularism.

Interior Minister Darmanin made it clear a few months ago in the Senate that his Arabic name is Musa, that his grandfather was a Muslim immigrant, and that he was assured of announcing the content of the bill, stressing that the new legislation aims to fight “France’s enemies, terrorists,” and that there is no contradiction between being a Muslim and a French citizen, but that political Islamism is a fatal enemy for republicanism.