Antoun el-Fata, "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency

France Confronts Muslim Brotherhood Over Threats to Secularism

Report casts doubt on French intelligence services

English version based on the Arabic-language article published by Akhbar al-Yawm

Macron’s Response

French President Emmanuel Macron chaired a Defense Council meeting on Thursday to discuss a government-commissioned report accusing the Muslim Brotherhood of waging a covert campaign via local proxies to subvert France's secular values and institutions. The report called for action to halt what it called a slow-burning spread of "political Islam" posing a threat to social cohesion, drawing swift criticism from members of the Muslim community and some academics.

Given the importance of the subject and the seriousness of the facts established, the Elysée Palace announced that, Macron has asked the government to draw up new proposals that will be examined at a forthcoming Defence Council meeting in early June.

The French president has undertaken a crackdown on what he calls "Islamist separatism" by seeking to limit foreign influence over Muslim institutions and communities. The campaign focused on schools, mosques, and local non-governmental organisations, aiming to influence local and national rule-making, notably concerning secularism and gender equality.

Hijab Debate

Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau presented preliminary guidelines to the Senate on how to address the issue, highlighting significant gaps in financial oversight concerning Islamist networks.

The report was released amid broader political debate in France and concurrent with efforts to introduce legislation banning minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public spaces, saying the hijab "seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children". The proposal also includes a "criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil".

End of the Battle?

France’s concerns about the Muslim Brotherhood, and their alleged ties to Turkish and Iranian agendas, are longstanding. Arab and Gulf states have also played a role in shaping France’s stance toward the organization.

As France navigates relations with Iran, Turkey, and Arab powers, the central question remains: Will this latest campaign result in full integration of French Muslims into a secular republic, or will it lead to the creation of frameworks that formally acknowledge their specific religious and cultural identity within a secular state?

The UAE's Role

A regional expert told the "Akhbar al-Yawm" agency that France enjoys direct support from the United Arab Emirates in its current campaign, along with indirect backing from Saudi Arabia. "The UAE has positioned itself as the most uncompromising global actor against the Muslim Brotherhood. Saudi Arabia, due to its religious significance in the Islamic world, avoids appearing as an overt opponent of Islamic groups, particularly in contexts like France", the expert said.

He suggested that one potential outcome of France’s renewed campaign could be the eventual granting of additional rights to the Muslim community in France, in exchange for marginalizing the Muslim Brotherhood. This could be accompanied by further French-Emirati agreements and shared strategic interests over time.

Intelligence Gaps

The same expert emphasized the structural weaknesses of French intelligence, which have allowed various Islamist groups to operate with relative impunity for years. "French intelligence suffers from a bureaucratic inefficiency that hampers effectiveness. It lags behind its British, German, and increasingly Italian counterparts", he explained.

The expert added: "Many of the points raised in the French report could be interpreted as an indictment of France’s own intelligence services. Macron’s reaction during the Defense Council meeting appeared more critical of his intelligence agencies than of the Muslim Brotherhood itself".