A French government report warns that Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks are working through schools, mosques and civic organizations to undermine the country’s secular republican system.
The report, published by France’s Interior Ministry in May 2025, describes a long-term strategy known as “entryism” — gaining influence inside educational, cultural, sporting and municipal institutions without openly challenging the state.
French officials say the objective is to build parallel communities in which religious demands gradually take precedence over national law and the principle of secularism.
The findings have intensified a bitter political debate. Conservatives and the National Rally argue that successive governments ignored the problem for decades, allowing Islamist networks backed by foreign funding to become deeply established. Left-wing parties and civil-rights organizations accuse the government of exaggerating the threat and stigmatizing France’s wider Muslim population. Organizations named in the report have also denied being controlled by the Muslim Brotherhood.