In a recent interview with the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI), French-Tunisian imam Hassen Chalghoumi issued a grave yet clear-headed warning: dozens of schools affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood in France are exposing thousands of children to a dangerous Islamist ideology. This silent infiltration, he argues, threatens social cohesion, republican values, and civil peace.
A Concerning Educational Threat
The imam of Drancy points to the existence of a network of schools linked to the Muslim Brotherhood which, under the guise of religious or cultural education, spread ideas that contradict the spirit of the Republic. These schools, he says, raise generations of young Muslims on a politicized and victim-centered interpretation of Islam, gradually cutting them off from common civic values.
This strategy is not new. The Muslim Brotherhood has long understood that education is a key lever to establish their influence and disseminate a rigid, identity-based, and anti-secular worldview. But according to Chalghoumi, the current scale of the phenomenon in France is alarming.
Victimhood Rhetoric as a Tool for Indoctrination
The imam also denounces the systematic use of victimhood narratives by Islamist networks: Muslims are portrayed as perpetual victims of the West, of France, of the Republic. This seemingly compassionate rhetoric conceals a clear objective: to create a moral divide between young Muslims and French society.
By fueling distrust, anger, and resentment, the Muslim Brotherhood cultivates a climate ripe for radicalization. The soil is ready — the recruiters only need to sow the seeds. The outcome is all too familiar: separatism, hatred of others, and in some cases, violent action.
A Call for Political Firmness
Hassen Chalghoumi therefore calls for firm and unambiguous measures: banning the Muslim Brotherhood in France, dismantling its networks, strictly monitoring foreign funding, and reinforcing oversight of educational and religious associations. This struggle, he clarifies, is not against Islam, but against Islamism — the political distortion of religion that suffocates youth and betrays the spiritual principles of Islam.
He also insists on the need to promote a republican, enlightened Islam — one that is compatible with modernity, freedom, and coexistence. An Islam that is not a vehicle for division, but a foundation for social cohesion.
A Voice Under Attack — But Essential
Frequently and unjustly attacked — including from within the Muslim community — for his courageous stance against Islamism, Hassen Chalghoumi remains a committed figure in defense of a republican and enlightened Islam. His voice disturbs precisely because it exposes grey areas, complacency, and moral abdications. He embodies a free Muslim voice, loyal to the Republic, and refusing to compromise with obscurantism.
At Ashteret, we relay this warning with utmost seriousness. Not to spread fear or stigmatization, but because clarity is the first act of responsibility. The Republic cannot afford to turn a blind eye to those who, in the name of religion, work to undermine it.
Source:
MEMRI – “French-Tunisian Imam Hassen Chalghoumi: France – There Are Dozens Of Muslim Brotherhood-Affiliated Schools Exposing Children To Islamist Ideology”
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