The president of a French mosque which was threatened with closure by the authorities has warned that every French mosque should be worried about its future. Mohamed Benali, of Gennevilliers Mosque near Paris, was speaking after the Minister of the Interior, Gerald Darmanin, threatened the mosque with closure unless it sacked an imam who gave a sermon there on June 4 which was considered to be contrary to “Republican values.”

The imam, Mohamed el Mehdi Bouzid, is alleged to have said that women lacked modesty, and some of them were being “inhabited by the demon” and “share makeup lessons or outfits on social networks that showcase the shapes of their bodies.” This sermon led to the imam being summoned to the Hauts-de-Seine authorities on July 8, “as part of the fight against separatism and radicalization.” Commenting on the developments, Mohamed Benali said: “I’m really sorry that the public authorities have behaved in this way but I have no choice but to suffer this unjust pressure on all the community… The separatism law which is being voted on seems to target Islam in France in its entirety. If Gennevilliers Mosque is threatened with closure every mosque should be worried.”

Five months ago a global coalition of 25 civil society organizations and NGOs from 11 countries submitted a letter to the President of the European Commission urging immediate action against France for its “state-sponsored Islamophobia.” The complaint says that France has implemented numerous laws designed to limit freedom of belief and punish the manifestation of religion.

Source: 5Pillars