Report on the "threat" of the Muslim Brotherhood: the declassified document that stirs passions

In France, the National Defence and Security Council (CDSN) meets weekly, without its agenda being publicized or making headlines. Things were quite different on Tuesday, May 20, when the council examined a "shocking" report on the Muslim Brotherhood , commissioned by the government from two senior officials.

According to the Élysée Palace, the 73-page document "very clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature" of the Islamist organization. Its authors point to "entryism from below" which constitutes a "threat to national cohesion."

Bruno Retailleau, the Minister of the Interior, who used all his influence to ensure the study was declassified, even spoke of a risk of "submersion" in the face of "a low-level Islamism which is spreading by trying to infiltrate sports, cultural, social and other associations" , and whose "ultimate objective is to plunge the whole of French society into Sharia law" .

Except that while the report seeks to document the growing organization of the Muslim Brotherhood, whose activity and danger should not be underestimated, it also points out that they are far from being the majority among Muslims.

According to the survey, 139 places of worship are linked to the Brotherhood in France, in addition to 68 places "considered close to the federation." This figure should both be a warning - as their project calls for placing the law of God before that of the Republic, in addition to enshrining inequality between men and women - and should be put into perspective.

In fact, these sites represent “7% of the 2,800 Muslim places of worship" in the country, and are attended on average by "91,000 faithful on Fridays” , out of 6 million Muslims in France, including 1.8 million who declare themselves to be practicing.

The authors also point out that 280 associations and 21 schools are linked to the organization, and point to the development of "preaching 2.0" on the networks. This is the conclusion of the report, which was strongly welcomed by the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM), according to which the study is flawed by "the absence of clear definitions of the concepts (used)" , which leads it to maintain "harmful confusion" .

The CFCM, which recalls that "the fight against extremism claiming to be Islamic is at the heart of (its) priorities", thus expresses its "deep concern about the possible abuses and exploitation of data made public" .

The substance and form of the report were also criticized by Nicolas Cadène . The former general rapporteur of the Observatory of Secularism points out "a lax methodology, obvious facts, amalgams and simplistic thinking."

"There are some completely outlandish and completely unsourced assessments, which is very problematic for an official report. As for the asserted entryism in different sectors, a major point of the report, it is not documented and is quite opposed to the 2024 report of the Ministry of the Interior, which was sourced," he comments. "Contrary to what we read or hear, nothing is surprising in this report, unless you have never followed anything on this subject," adds the founder of the Vigie de la laïcité.

From then on, the "shocking" front pages of Le Figaro (which states about the Brothers that "like a spider, this organization has woven its web in all the folds of society" without this being proven) and Le Parisien appear somewhat like the extension of a communication operation mounted by Bruno Retailleau , who is never the last to exploit the question of Islam, making the link between immigration, Muslims and insecurity.

"We are completely in line with the fact that we must not make any confusion," the Élysée Palace insisted. While Emmanuel Macron , after the Defense Council meeting, asked his government to formulate proposals for June, the secretary general of Renaissance, Gabriel Attal, called on Monday evening for a ban on the wearing of the veil by minors under 15 in public spaces.

While an escalation is to be feared, Jean-Luc Mélenchon castigated the government's approach. "This type of method has already been applied in the past, first against Protestants and Jews," which "leads straight to an unleashing of cruel inquisitions against individuals and disastrous for the unity of the country."

It remains to be seen what the executive will retain. The authors of the report note that "taking root in generally impoverished Muslim-majority neighborhoods, (the Brotherhood) respond to the needs of the population." Will this lead Emmanuel Macron to realize that the obstacles placed on social justice and the republican promise constitute a dangerous breeding ground? Because the fight against Islamism must be taken in all its dimensions, and without instrumentalization capable of ever fueling fears and divisions.