The Muslim Brotherhood Threat in France: A Digital and Geographical Mapping

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True to its modus operandi, the Muslim Brotherhood has established a vast and intricate network across France, composed of multiple associations and organizations.

Its objectives are well-defined: infiltrate society through regional and urban extensions, exert control over Muslim communities, and construct a sphere of influence capable of impacting national politics.

In this context, a recently declassified French intelligence report warns of the Brotherhood’s growing influence in the country.

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A Covert and Organized Network

According to Le Figaro, the 73-page intelligence document, based on field data and evidence gathered by the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI), accuses the Muslim Brotherhood of building a “complex and secretive network.”

This structure allegedly uses legal, cultural, and educational tools to form a parallel society founded on religious principles fundamentally at odds with France’s secular republican values.

The report was submitted to the National Defense Council, chaired by President Emmanuel Macron, as confirmed by the Ministry of the Interior.

It outlines several facets of the Brotherhood‘s strategy, notably its use of places of worship, private schools, and social media to disseminate its ideology.

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A Quantified Threat

Among the figures cited:

• 139 mosques are affiliated with “Musulmans de France,” considered the public face of the Brotherhood. 
• 280 associations across France are reportedly linked to the movement. 
• Confirmed activity of Brotherhood networks has been identified in approximately 20 French departments. 

The report pinpoints a structural vulnerability: the weak organization of Islamic religious affairs in France, which provides the Brotherhood with the opportunity to fill the institutional vacuum and extend its societal reach.

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Education: A Strategic Priority

The movement places strategic emphasis on the education sector, seen as a long-term lever of influence:

• 21 educational institutions were identified as affiliated with the Brotherhood as of September 2023. 
• Only 5 of these schools hold official partnership contracts with the French state. 
• 3 are run by the National Federation of Private Muslim Education (FNEM). 

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The intelligence document further indicates that the Brotherhood has crafted a version of political Islam adapted to Western contexts, seen by analysts as part of a deceptive strategy to evade scrutiny by security agencies.

The Brotherhood‘s methods reportedly involve gradual re-Islamization and at times subtle forms of social disruption, aiming to reshape the public sphere in line with its ideological goals.

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