Madame Le Cerf
Towards the end May this year, Bruno Retailleau published the report Frèrse Musulmans et islamisme politique en France.This report was commissioned by President Macron and the Ministries of the Interior, Defence and Foreign Affairs in April 2024 to investigate in depth the reality of political Islam in France. Its aim was to clarify the threat posed by Islamist entryism in terms of security and national cohesion. The commission visited 4 European countries and 10 French departments.
Its main objectives were to characterise the threat, establish the weight of Ikhwan influence in separatist movements and investigate the international threat of the Brotherhood with particular emphasis on their manoeuvres in our principal neighbours’ countries and the Arab-Muslim world. A secondary goal was to put forward proposals on how to combat entryism at local and national levels and particularly within the European Union.
The report exposed an important threat characterised by “un double discours” which mixed dissimulation and apparent respect for rules while seeking to encourage allegiances which were opposed to the republican tradition. It showed clearly the need to warn both the public at large and those who make decisions which affect the public about the reality of the threat.
The report was classified in order to protect sources who should not be identified and also to avoid prejudicing on-going trials. The report as published has been redacted to reflect this.
Despite having been commissioned at the highest levels, this report sat on Emmanuel Macron’s desk from August 2024 till May 2025- no doubt because its contents were not at all palatable to the powers that be, who like to pretend that “creeping Islamisation” is an extreme right fantasy. But Retailleau is much more hardline than his predecessors in matters of security, Islamisation and illegal immigration and is accused of publishing the report off his own bat-or even leaking it. He admits that he was determined that it should be published before the 2026 local elections.
Emmanuel Macron was reportedly furious that the report had been published but, given its explosive contents, he found himself constrained to express his concern about the “seriousness of the facts” and to instruct the Government to present new proposals to combat the Muslim Brotherhood. His spokesman said that the President recognised that the Brotherhood was “a threat to national cohesion” and that it was imperative to “inform the general public and local elected representatives about the threat and how it works”. There is a fear that the brotherhood could infiltrate candidates into mainstream political parties in order to deliver the Muslim vote in return for political concessions aligned with their Islamist agenda.
The public face of the Brotherhood is soothing and projects a moderate appearance. But to its Muslim audience it promotes antisemitism, gender segregation and separatism. This is part of the Brothers’ “recipe”-a system of rigorous training which enables adherents to spread their propaganda taking note of local conditions whilst being supported by a rigid hierarchy and an unyielding ideological corset. The first pillar of this cohesion is a mobilising slogan adopted in the 1940’s: al islam huwa al-hall (Islam is the solution). This slogan encapsulates the Brothers’ world view. Islam is not just a faith but a global system which regulates all aspects of life, personal, social and political. The framing of each Brotherhood member operates through a unit called “usra” (nuclear family in Arabic) where he follows regular cycles of religious, moral and political education. This compulsory curriculum consists of reading the work of Hassan al-Banna and his disciple Sayyid Qutb, memorising the Koran and ideological debates, thus fashioning militants who are disciplined and indoctrinated.
Today the Brotherhood’s new frontier is digital. The report gives details of a wave of online influencers who have been trained in Brotherhood institutions. With the Brotherhood’s flair for adapting to current conditions, which has ensured their existence for nearly 100 years , they have become adept at grievance politics and their discourse is designed to appeal to younger audiences. Some present as activists fighting “Islamophobia”. The Brotherhood is adept at distorting the French Republic’s stance on laicité mispresenting it as discrimination against Muslims.
One of the major difficulties in combating the Muslim Brotherhood is the fact that it does not take the form of an organisation officially registered as “Muslim Brotherhood”. Rather it manifests through a complex and nebulous mix of associations, federations, religious, educational and professional institutions as well as through influential individuals such as Tariq Ramadan (until his fall from grace). Among these bodies is “Musulmans de France” (MF). Founded in 1983 in its previous incarnation of Union des Organisations Islamiques de France it is regarded by the authorities as the Brotherhood’s principle “shop window” in France. Like the MCB in Britain it is an umbrella organisation of several hundred associations, runs several mosques and every year organises a major jamboree at Bourget which draws thousands of participants including international Brotherhood big wigs.
Promoting the hijab and halal food are key components of Brotherhood strategy for reislamising Muslim populations and encouraging separatism. Entryism at the level of the EU has led to a promotional campaign for hijab by FEMYSO (Forum of European Youth and student organisations). This was paid for by the EU! The network’s reach in France alone is considerable, comprising some 200 associations including 139 officially affiliated mosques and another 68 considered to be “ideologically close”. Together they account for nearly 10% of the mosques opened since 2014. Every Friday about 94,000 people attend prayers in those places. The Brotherhood also controls or influences 21 private schools, 3 of which are state funded and 81 koranic schools. In these last over 66,000 minors are taught Arabic and Koran recitation but also indoctrinated to see themselves as part of the Ummah in moral and cultural opposition to Western secularism.
Brotherhood linked schools have distributed texts which praise Sharia law as superior to man-made law, denounce interfaith marriage and vilify Jews. The report states unequivocally that antisemitism is central – a core ideological element often disguised as “Anti Zionism”. In one mosque near Paris a speaker recently declared to a cheering audience “Je suis Hamas.”. Hassan Iquioussen, a prominent preacher linked to the Brotherhood, (and recently expelled from France) is cited for repeatedly spreading antisemitic conspiracy theories such as “the Jews control the media” and “they manipulate history to maintain their grip on global opinion”.
Many schools have promoted books by known extremists including persons expelled from France because of concerns about national security. One of the best known schools the Lycée Averroes, in Lille was found to be teaching material aligned with Islamist orthodoxy and thus in contradiction with Republican values such as equality between men and women. It was receiving funding from Qatar, which the report states backs Brotherhood linked institutions under the pretence of philanthropy. Turkey is also named as a key player. Since the fall of the Brotherhood Morsi government in Egypt in 2013, Erdogan has hosted meetings of Brotherhood exiles in Istanbul and supported their affiliated networks across Europe.
In major centres of Muslim population, such as Lille, Lyon and some suburbs of Paris the Brotherhood does not confine its activities to religious and educational institutions but has aided the construction of what the report calls “ecosystems”: halal shops, youth centres, job training schemes, match making services, Islamic microfinance and charities. Together these create a parallel society for the Muslims who make use of them. But over time they normalise a particular world view in the areas in which they are located-one which rejects the Republic and its laicité. Religious law is elevated above the laws of the Republic and less religious Muslims are pressured to comply. Nowhere is this more marked than in the pressure on women to wear hijab.
The Brotherhood’s activities have been advancing quietly under the radar for decades unchallenged by European governments. Why? Because they don’t engage in the kinds of activities which set off alarm bells. They don’t blow up planes or even hijack them-they lobby school boards. No bombing of cafés or concerts but plenty of halal start-ups, Koran schools and halal dating apps. France has taken a first step by naming the problem. Sweden has got on board, requesting the full report and launching its own investigation. Unsurprisingly Belgium is keeping schtum. It has accommodated Brotherhood networks for years under the banner of multiculturalism. The U.K.? Well, it has the Brotherhood as well but due to a different demographic (subcontinentals rather than Arabs and Africans) in the Muslim population it is less influential. However, Jamaat e Islam a subcontinental offshoot founded by Maududi is influential in Pakistani heritage communities. It could be called the South Asian Muslim Brotherhood.
One of the most controversial areas subjected to Brotherhood machinations in France is sport. Sport is regarded by the state as an essential activity for young people and a lot of money is spent subsidising sporting associations. Rather than promoting social cohesion between different communities the separatism pushed by the Brotherhood causes division. Hassan al-Banna, its founder, said “Sport is one of our means”. Sophie Germain, the Director General of the Paris Ile de France football league, has said bluntly “The football clubs are becoming places of conquest” and warned about efforts to infiltrate the management of clubs. Two deputies from very different sides of the political debate (Ensemble and the RN) have reported that more than 500 clubs have been faced with separatist behaviour. Between 25 and 30 association have been infiltrated by persons working to a Brotherhood agenda. Caroline Yadan, the Ensemble deputy outlined that in these associations sport was actually a tool for the dissemination of Islamist practices and for sapping the Republican ideal. The most visible manifestations were the wearing of the hijab during sporting activities and burkinis in swimming pools. Refusal to shake hands with, or to bow before an opponent in martial arts such as judo and demands for separate changing rooms for Muslims and a calendar for training sessions and competitions which is aligned with the Islamic religious calendar are cropping up along with prayer sessions and proselytising meetings at sports venues. Unfortunately, this sorry state of affairs has been allowed to go on unheeded for too long and has reached such a level that it is becoming more and more difficult to put a stop to. The Federation for Taekwondo has officially prohibited the hijab but has noted that 20% of its female practitioners wear it and are not sanctioned! On a visit by the departmental inspector for services for young people and sport to Montignac in Héreault, he was greeted by club officials who told him “We don’t say ‘Bonjour ‘here but ‘Salaam Aleikum’”. Given that the inspector had been sent because of reports of violence, repeated anti-French insults against players on other teams and refusal to speak French on the field, this was the final straw. The result was that the Montignac sporting club lost all its public subsidies. Unfortunately, Montignac is not an isolated case but just one illustration of the nature of what is at stake – that, even in sport which should bring people together, there are places in France which are no longer France. We are a long way from the famous slogan “Black,blanc, beur (Black, white, Arab)”, so popular after the 1998 World Cup victory.
The war in Gaza has been a boon for the Brotherhood-a stage where Hamas, their official Palestinian branch, can play the role of holy martyr. As it continues, Brotherhood members are active in the universities of Paris, London, Brussels and Geneva, NGOs and Unions, pushing the narrative of massacre and genocide for the consumption of the West’s useful idiots and gullible students. But this is nothing new. It is simply a reiteration of the Brotherhood’s original purpose – the installation of a world-wide caliphate and the removal from the planet of the font of all evil- the Jew. This Islamic totalitarianism showed itself in the 1930’s in alliance with the National Socialism of the Nazis. The Mufti of Jerusalem was allied with Hitler and recruited for a Muslim division of the Waffen SS in Bosnia. The sermons of many mullahs today echo the propaganda of Goebbels.
How has this report which unveils the penetration of Brotherhood influence in France been received? Those who for years have been sounding the alarm about creeping Islamisation and the Brotherhood’s role in it breathed sighs of relief. Here was a serious report about what was going on and nobody could deny it any longer. On the contrary- the deniers were not in the least fazed. The partisans of right thinking put up their fists to fight against reality with the same old accusations -Islamophobia, stigmatisation of minority communities, outright fantasy, amalgam, etc.,etc..
No sooner was the Gougette- Coutade (the authors) report unveiled than the bien pensant media from Le Monde to France Inter began embroidering the discourse surrounding it so as to avoid by far the most relevant question-was what it said true? Platforms were given to “experts” on brushing over reality and harping on about how social disadvantage excused the machinations of the Islamists. The researcher Franck Frégosi intoned “There is no hidden agenda for installing a caliphate in Europe.” Much to the delight of France Inter, France Info, Libération and Mediapart. Because, of course, the problem with France lies not with Islamic separatism, which is seducing so many young French Muslims, but with Bruno Retailleau, Minister of the Interior, who might use the report as an excuse to try to put a stop to Islamic separatism in a bid to boost his chances in the next Presidential election.
Even Emmanuel Macron is suspected in some quarters of assisting an Islamophobic plot by scheduling discussion of the report by the Conseil de Défence et Securité Nationale (COSN) -a very select committee consisting only of the Prime Minister, Interior Minister, Foreign Minister and Minister for the Armed Forces.
However, those on the right tend to think that, if Macro is sitting on the report, it is not so as to ensure a stern response to the problem of the Brotherhood but to guarantee that any action taken by the government will be weak and will upset nobody. Indeed, a few feeble measures recommended in the document are already being carried out, such as surveillance of Islamist networks, closing of fundamentalist mosques and expulsions of radical imams. Macron talked tough at the CDSN but then demanded measures against discrimination and put forward the recognition of a Palestinian state!
Although the report was welcomed with some scepticism by those who had been banging on about Islamic separatism for years (“We know all that”) it did provide a great deal of detail about the networks, mechanisms and institutions that allow the ideology of the Brothers to advance. But there were some gaps. It stuck to the sphere of the Brotherhood without investigating its alliances with other Islamic tendencies – Salafism, Wahabism Shiisme and Tablighi Jamat which are also important, although perhaps more so in other European countries such as the U.K. and Germany.
Nor did it measure the depth of the influence on young Muslims of fundamentalist content on Tik Tok, where typing in “Islam” can take you in a few clicks to a fundamentalist sermon. Even Retailleau apparently continues to live with the reassuring fiction that there is a firm divide between a small minority of Islamist fanatics and a large majority of moderate Muslims who adhere to the tenets of the Republic. But the reality is far less clear. Is a young man who refuses to shower with his kuffar classmates just a Muslim or is he an Islamist? What about those who think that Charle Hebdo had it coming? Or those who think that the law which bans visible religious insignia at school is proof of state Islamophobia (not withstanding the fact that the law applies to Jews, Christians, Sikhs, etc.)?
There was hope that the Retailleau/Darmanin duo would do all they could to counter the machinations of the Brotherhood but, with the fall of the Bayrou government and the uncertainty about the composition of LeCornu’s cabinet, we might be stuck once more with the useful idiots like Nicole Belloubet and Eric Dupont-Moretti, who during their tenure at Justice resolutely took up the position of the three wise monkeys on the problem of Islamisation.
