Lyon-style Frérisme

"Around fifty Muslim associations related to or linked to Muslims of France or more generally displaying a Muslim Brotherhood sensibility are listed in the Lyon region , we can read . The region is particularly exposed to this because of the establishment of the Tawhid center and the Union of Young Muslims, relays of Tariq Ramadan from the 80s-90s. This presence is also supported by the great Othmane mosque of Villeurbanne directly attached to Muslims of France."

“This multiplicity of actors results in a 'rigorization' of religious practice, with an explosion in the number of young girls wearing an abaya and a massive increase in the number of little girls wearing the veil. This situation is complicated for social centers that accept everyone ('come as you are') and face community demands.”

A highly commented upon political object, the report, largely classified, was published in Le Figaro at the end of May, although it was produced in spring 2024, but remained behind the scenes due to political instability (no government).

The temptation would be to stick to the political dimension of the particularly well-documented seventy-five-page report , with figures and a diagnostic element. And to remain, in a way, in one's comfort zone, conveniently closing one's eyes to the substance of the matter.

Yet, less than a year before the municipal elections, the issue is a campaign topic. The report highlights local dimensions rather prominently, with the issue of entryism as a backdrop: so-called low-level local clientelism (already at work in the Lyon metropolitan area) or more subtle intimidation campaigns such as, typically, accusations of state Islamophobia and systemic racism against Muslims in the name of a "project" to destroy Islam.

The report can help raise awareness among elected officials. It would be healthy to have a debate, especially before the municipal elections. This would help people on the ground—social workers, sports instructors, and mayors—to dare to speak out or make them feel less alone when they do.

The Muslim Brotherhood targets the pillars of the state, its most robust institutions . When national education is in the crosshairs, it works and it's frightening. When they target universities, it's to block the production of knowledge on these subjects. This is intimidation.

The Lyon 2 story is neither a "controversy" nor a "media frenzy," as France Universities, Lyon 2 President Isabelle von Bueltzingsloewen , or certain media outlets have characterized it. Not insignificantly, is the resignation of the vice-president of the board of directors, finance, and personnel of Lyon 2, Willy Beauvallet-Haddad, the target of an investigation for "apology for terrorism" opened by the Lyon prosecutor's office, after he paid tribute to the leader of Hezbollah.

The mistake would be to continue to bury our heads in the sand , with the sledgehammer argument that the attacks against the Muslim Brotherhood are, in fact, attacks against Muslims in general. This would be falling into the trap that the Muslim Brotherhood has been setting for more than thirty years.

A debate in Lyon, however, seems very complicated. For the upcoming municipal elections, Grégory Doucet is desperate for a union of the left and the far left. However, the leader of the latter, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, said, regarding the report on the Muslim Brotherhood, that it was a "gimmick" and "not to believe in conspiracy fantasies" about the Brotherhood movement, and accused "the center right (of) making Islamophobia a cause of the State." And, in the Rhône, LFI was the big winner of the last legislative elections with four deputies...

LFI's marriage proposal to the Greens (or vice versa) for the municipal elections: "Cover this breast that I cannot see."

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