Knowledge is Power: France's war on Islamic consciousness
France’s Newest Crackdown
On July 7th, 2025, following a meeting with the French Defence and National Security Council, French President Emmanuel Macron announced a new set of prohibitive and restrictive measures to tighten oversight of groups accused of undermining national cohesion. This includes measures such as fund freezes and the blocking of any financial contributions. The announcement follows previous conversations, which occurred in May 2025 after the release of the controversial report on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France. Its findings and procedures were presented as part of a greater initiative against “Islamic entryism” and separatism.
A Pattern of Targeting Islamic Consciousness
This is not the first time France has targeted Muslim initiatives, institutions, and organizations. We have seen a plethora of cases over the last decade alone, most notably with the dissolution of the CCIF (Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France) in 2020. The collective expressed wishes to self-dissolve following the death of Teacher Samuel Paty 1, after being accused by the Minister of the Interior — who was, at the time, Gérald Darmanin — of involvement in the crime. However, the French government still proceeded with the dissolution. The justifications provided for this action were based on the collective’s alleged involvement in the death of Paty, their proximity to “radical Islamists,” and allegations of inciting violence. The CCIF responded to the claims, proving the unfounded nature of the accusations 2. The organization was ultimately shut down, despite bearing no connection to Paty’s murder and being recognized by the Organization for Security Co-operation in Europe, the UN, and the European Commission.
In a similar vein, Nawa Éditions, an Islamic publishing house, was closed in September of 2021 under Article L212-1 3. The decree, validated by allegations that it “legitimized Jihad,” fits within the same dynamic of state repression of Muslim institutions and initiatives.
Things seem to be escalating faster than ever; the mechanism of France’s institutionalized Islamophobia has assumed a whole new magnitude.
The Rising Tide of Oppression
Now based in Belgium, the CCIE (Collectif contre l’islamophobie en Europe), which succeeded the CCIF, still faces repression from the French government. In May of 2025, French members of the CCIE had their homes searched and were placed in custody.
Muslim private schools like Averroès or Al Kindi, which are amongst the best schools in France 4 , had their contracts with the State revoked over alleged major “failures” and “organizational dysfunctions,” even with the court dismissing the charges. The Institut Européen des Sciences Humaines (IESH) has been facing a similar fate since June 2025, with a dissolution notice issued against the institute. Between March and June of 2025 alone, publishing houses Sarrazins, Ribât, and the director of Éditions Tawhid saw their accounts frozen by ministerial orders, effectively disrupting or suspending their operations.
“Suis-moi, je te suis, fuis-moi, je te suis”
Whether through financial, organizational, or administrative means, France’s restrictions on advocacy efforts and the dissemination of Islamic knowledge seem to reflect a continuous cycle of fear-mongering towards Muslims, echoing its colonial past and lingering to this day. We have seen similar repression through French-controlled Madrassas in Algeria, which sought to gain control of Algerian society and Islam in its cultural and political expressions through the subversion of religious authorities and efforts to villainize Islam in West Africa. Unfortunately, this colonial legacy has persisted across the newest generations of Muslims in France. Little to no mobilization was seen to contest or defend IESH, CCIF, and other cases of hindrance against Islamic initiatives. Even when efforts are made, they often veil beneath a liberal laïcarde façade that suppresses Islam’s core beliefs and values. In this context, even so-called “moderate Muslims” have joined the secular chorus by lamenting their co-religionists for the display of their faith beyond the private sphere, in a desperate attempt to prove themselves to the public eye. Ironically, French Muslims are expected to erase themselves from society to prove their benevolence, yet even doing so fails to break this vicious cycle.
Knowledge is Power
Powers like France have always feared the emancipation of Muslims through the awareness and knowledge of their deen, because it holds the believers spiritually grounded in a way that leaves no room for compromises, and where attempts to conquer or subjugate are fiercely defied. The idea of “Knowledge is Power”, in that sense, goes beyond power in its material or social form; Knowledge elevates the Muslim in the eyes of Allah. It is a light that illuminates our path through the dunya with the presence of divine protection. Let us learn, learn to reclaim our history from myths, our Islam from oriental and colonial distortions, our politics from the tyrants. For Allah is with the one who learns for his sake and fortifies his soul with a strength no empire can defeat.
"Allah will raise those who believe among you and those who were given knowledge, by many degrees. And Allah is All-Aware of what you do."(Surah Al-Mujadila, 58:11)
Foot Notes:
- October 16, 2020, Samuel Paty, a middle-school teacher in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, is attacked and murdered in front of his school by 18 year-old Abdoullakh Abouyezidovich Anzorov , days after having shown blasphemous images of the prophet Muhammad ﷺ to his students.
- 110. Dissolution du Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France (CCIF), III – Le CCIF répond au Ministère de l’Intérieur.
- Article L212-1 of the Code de la sécurité intérieure (CSI).
- Al Kindi was ranked best High-school in the Rhône department in 2019 and 2022. Averroès was ranked best High-school in France in 2013.
Sources:
Book & blog sources:
Aït Yahya, Aïssam. (2011). De l’idéologie islamique française : éloge d’une insoumission à la modernité. Éditions Nawa.
Hajjat, Abdellali. (2024). “Le grand retournement du droit antiraciste : la dissolution paradoxale du Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France.” La Revue des droits de l’homme, no. 25. OpenEdition Journals. https://doi.org/10.4000/revdh.19076
Sarri, Ahmed. (2024). “التوجه والأهداف: المدارس الرسمية الثالث في الجزائر.” أستور – مجلة Ostour, no. 20. https://doi.org/10.31430/VNAR2995
Web sources:
Entrisme des Frères musulmans en France : ce que contient le rapport controversé. (2025). Le Monde. https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2025/05/22/entrisme-des-freres-musulmans-en-france-ce-que-contient-le-rapport-controverse_6607694_3224.html.
Loi séparatisme : des figures musulmanes visées par des gels d’avoirs. (2025). La Croix. https://www.la-croix.com/religion/loi-separatisme-des-figures-musulmanes-visees-par-des-gels-d-avoirs-20250710.
Human Rights Watch. (2021). “Le Conseil d’État valide la dissolution d’une organisation anti-discrimination.” https://www.hrw.org/fr/news/2021/09/28/le-conseil-detat-valide-la-dissolution-dune-organisation-anti-discrimination.
Dissolution du Collectif contre l’islamophobie en France (CCIF). Libertés Associatives. https://libertesassociatives.org/entrave/dissolution-du-collectif-contre-lislamophobie-en-france-ccif/.
Communiqué officiel : réponse à l’avis de dissolution de notre association. (2025). IESH. https://iesh.fr/communique-officiel-reponse-a-lavis-de-dissolution-de-notre-association/.
“France’s Biggest Muslim School Went from Accolades to Defunding, Showing a Key Paradox in How the Country Treats Islam.” (2024). The Conversation. https://theconversation.com/frances-biggest-muslim-school-went-from-accolades-to-defunding-showing-a-key-paradox-in-how-the-country-treats-islam-220725.
Al-Kindi : le tribunal valide la résiliation du contrat entre l’État et le groupe scolaire privé. France 3 Régions. https://france3-regions.franceinfo.fr/auvergne-rhone-alpes/rhone/lyon/al-kindi-le-tribunal-valide-la-resiliation-du-contrat-entre-l-etat-et-le-groupe-scolaire-prive-3121528.html.
Décret n° 2024-xxx relatif à … Légifrance, https://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/jorf/id/JORFTEXT000051745602.