The French Ministry of the Interior will inspect 76 mosques to examine whether “separatism” manifested in local Muslim communities., announced the head of the ministry, Gérald Darmanin, on Twitter, who indicated that he does not rule out the closure of some of the mosques.
“Following my instructions, the authorities will launch a large-scale and unprecedented operation against separatism. 76 mosques are now suspected of separatism will be searched, and those that will have to be closed will be closed,” stated Darmanin. The Le Figaro daily added that 18 mosques could be closed soon.
A new law, which the government wants to enforce in parliament, is to be directed against “separatism”, meaning radical Islamism. The cabinet wants to discuss the proposal this week.
Recently, President Emmanuel Macron announced that he wants to fight radical Islam in a variety of places, including in mosques, out-of-school areas, and the Internet.
The move from the interior ministry follows a wave of terrorist attacks that hit France in recent months, including the beheading of Samuel Paty by an 18-year-old Islamist.
Title image: A man walks inside the Paris mosque, Thursday, Oct. 29, 2020. The beheading of a teacher outside his school just as President Emmanuel Macron goes on a war footing to rout out extremists has forced French Muslim into ensuring their respect for the nation’s values and justifying Islam as a religion of peace. (AP Photo/Thibault Camus)
