French Authorities Continue Their Fight Against the Muslim Brotherhood: What’s New?

France continues to implement measures to combat terrorism and hate speech, targeting both online platforms and the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood. According to the Egyptian news outlet “Akhbar Al-Youm,” individuals inciting murder have been arrested, social media accounts banned, and funding sources for educational institutions linked to the Brotherhood have been cut off.

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These actions, described as significant by the French Minister of the Interior, aim to counter the spread of the Muslim Brotherhood, their associations, research centers, and institutes, which seek to recruit French citizens and impose their ideology of societal control.

As part of these efforts, authorities in the Rhône department recently decided to withdraw public funding from a major educational institution found to be promoting the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology in its curriculum, attended by hundreds of students starting from the 2025 academic year.

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This institution, known as the “Islamic Canadian Institute,” has been under French authorities’ scrutiny since April 2024. A search of its premises revealed books advocating jihad in its main library, discriminatory rules against women, and controversial comments by teachers on social media.

Established in 2007 in eastern Lyon, the institution had obtained necessary government approvals and signed agreements to receive public funding as early as 2012. Over time, it expanded into a school complex with 22 classes, from primary to secondary education, accommodating hundreds of Muslim students.

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According to French media, the Islamic Canadian Institute is the last Islamic high school in France to have benefited from public funding. Starting in the 2025 academic year, it will no longer be able to rely on such funding to pay its contracted teachers or provide scholarships, which support 53% of its students.

Moreover, France has launched a new type of campaign to combat hate speech and incitement to murder online. These efforts target threats issued via social media platforms, endangering French citizens’ lives.

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Influencers with hundreds of thousands of followers on TikTok have been arrested. One of them, known as “Zazo,” called for attacks and acts of violence in France. He is currently in pre-trial detention and is set to face trial on February 24 for incitement to terrorism, facing a prison sentence of up to seven years.

Another influencer, referred to as “Sophia,” was also arrested as part of an investigation into online hate videos. The public prosecutor stated that she will appear in court to face charges of incitement to commit a crime or offense, death threats, and public insults based on sexual orientation, identity, origin, race, or religion.

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