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December 29,2021

Andrew Campbell 

France has ordered the closure of a mosque in the northern French province of Oise because of the radical nature of its imam's preaching, regional officials reported Agence France-Presse (AFP) on December 28. The mosque in the town of Beauvais will reportedly remain shut for six months.

Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced two weeks ago that he would begin the process of closing the Great Mosque of Beauvais, which is located 100 kilometers (62 miles) north of Paris, because the imam was targeting Christians, gays, and Jews in his sermons. The mosque has been given ten days to respond. The lawyer, Samim Bolaky, for the association managing the mosque said that it had filed for an injunction to reverse the prohibition. There would be a court hearing on the appeal within 48 hours.

Earlier this year, the French government declared that it will increase inspections of places of worship and organizations accused of disseminating extremist Islamic propaganda. Minister Darmanin announced in 2020 that mosques with extremist ties would be targeted, with some being closed if proved to be supporting separatism. It was in response to the beheading of teacher Samuel Paty and the fatal stabbing of three people in a cathedral in Nice, both of which were blamed on Islamist extremists in October 2020.