The Muslim Brotherhood’s infiltration of the French municipality of Colombes… Investigations uncover a network
The municipality of Colombes, in the outskirts of Paris, has come under media scrutiny and public attention following suspicions of links between the Muslim Brotherhood and a senior official within the municipal administration.
The chief of staff to the mayor, who belongs to the Green Party (center-left), was removed from his position after doubts arose about his attempts to promote a political-religious agenda close to the Muslim Brotherhood in the city, just four months ahead of the municipal elections.
According to the French magazine Le Point, Stéphane Chauhan, chief of staff at Colombes City Hall, was quietly replaced in early December after a judicial investigation was launched on charges of influence peddling and money laundering.
This move followed a search conducted in mid-November at city hall and at his residence.
The French newspaper Le Figaro reported that Chauhan also served as first deputy to Mayor Patrick Chaimovitch, elected under the Green Party banner in 2020.
Chauhan had been under surveillance since the spring of 2025 because of suspicious activities and alleged attempts to push a political-religious agenda linked to the Muslim Brotherhood in the city, according to the same source.
Searches and revelations
On March 5, during a search of the Lycène Institute, authorities uncovered materials suggesting the teaching and dissemination of “political Islam,” even though the institute presented itself as a center for language learning and digital technologies. It offered courses in Arabic, English, and French to around 250 students, along with academic support.
Authorities also made another unexpected discovery: the director of the institute, known as “Abdelrahman,” turned out to be none other than Stéphane Chauhan, the mayor’s chief of staff.
During a second search on May 7, authorities identified serious violations of fire safety regulations and a dilapidated building posing a risk to the public. As a result, Alexandre Brugère, Prefect of Hauts-de-Seine, decided to intervene and ordered the closure of the institute.
The case was also referred to the courts, where Chauhan faces charges of “role confusion,” since he served simultaneously as director of the Lycène Institute, chief of staff to the mayor, and secretary-general of the MESC (Muslims of Colombes) association, which manages the Karama Mosque of Colombes, known for its proximity to the Muslim Brotherhood.
A structured network
The mosque was built on land owned by the municipality under a “temporary occupancy agreement” renewed several times. The association also filed a request at the end of 2024 for a permit to construct a new mosque.
Despite an initial refusal from the municipality, the requests are still being reviewed.
Chauhan is suspected of having facilitated procedures in favor of the association, raising concerns about a potential conflict of interest, according to French reports.
On the X platform, the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine indicated that Chauhan’s departure from city hall resulted from measures taken as part of efforts to combat the infiltration of political Islam.
A report by the Ministry of the Interior, published in May 2025 on the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam in France, had already highlighted Chauhan’s role in building a wide-ranging network combining social, religious, and political dimensions in the city, as well as his involvement in the municipality’s 2020 election campaign, in support of associations linked to political Islam.
