"It's not that he doesn't trust, but he prefers to watch": why Emmanuel Macron has taken back control of the Islamist "entryism" issue

A (new) law on Islamist entryism is expected "before the end of the year" . Emmanuel Macron announced this on Monday, July 7, during an interview with several media outlets , including France Info, after chairing a second National Defense and Security Council at the Elysée Palace, dedicated to "entryism", particularly by the Muslim Brotherhood , following the publication of a report at the end of May .

Emmanuel Macron is first calling for a text that will be applicable by the end of the year and therefore ready by the end of the summer, complementing the infamous "separatism" law of 2021, the law "strengthening the principles of the Republic." A whole arsenal of measures aimed at countering the threat that, according to the government, the Muslim Brotherhood poses to national cohesion, including—in detail—the possibility of dissolving the endowment funds that finance them, the authorized seizure of the assets of associations that act on their behalf, and better control, with fines for associations that do not respect the republican commitment contract signed to receive subsidies...

"We want to raise public awareness," Emmanuel Macron told franceinfo, ahead of the 2026 municipal elections, calling for vigilance among prefects and the Interior Ministry, who will be able to cross-reference their files. Even though the electoral code prevents the state from banning a community candidate, for example. Finally, the president announced that he would bring together representatives of Islam in France in the fall, assuring that he would advocate a "discourse of appeasement."

These measures also demonstrate the President's resumption of this symbolic issue. An issue that had irked him on May 21, during a first Defense Council meeting. Emmanuel Macron castigated measures that were not effective enough. He called on the government, and particularly Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, to review their plans. A refocusing that is not named, but which, according to the head of state, has borne fruit. "I congratulated the government; what I asked for has been explored," he told franceinfo.

It was he himself who picked up the phone and handled the communication with journalists after the meeting to ensure after-sales service for the decisions. A sign of a recovery in hand, but even more of a return to business, less than two years before the end of his mandate. "It's not that he doesn't have confidence but he prefers to watch," jokes an old friend , "like at driving school, the instructor has double pedals."

On the sidelines of a trip to Roquefort on Thursday, Emmanuel Macron had urged the Prime Minister to better discipline speech within the government. On Saturday, he mocked the ambitions of various parties for 2027, calling before the Young with Macron for unity within his camp before saying how much he was counting on his supporters for " in two years, in five years, in ten years!" A far cry from the image of the president above the fray he had been cultivating for a year and the dissolution. This power to dissolve that he rediscovered last night, and with it, an impression of omnipotence.