The prefect of Bas-Rhin Josiane Chevalier closed for six months a prayer room in Obernai (Bas-Rhin) this Thursday morning, said in a press release the prefecture of Bas-Rhin.

The measure had been requested by the Ministry of the Interior.

Gérald Darmanin who launched the procedure for the administrative closure of the mosque at the end of September, accused of facilitating "the spread of a radical ideology", according to the Ministry of the Interior.

The hall is run by the Franco Maghrebian and African Association of Obernai (AFMAO).

The imam of the mosque, who arrived in 2017, is "known to have engaged in radical proselytism in the Bas-Rhin for a dozen years", assured Place Beauvau to AFP, confirming information from

Figaro

.

He shows "obvious hostility towards French society, multiplies provocative and hostile remarks to republican values ​​and encourages the faithful in this radical vision", adds the Ministry of the Interior.

In detail, the imam is accused, in the eyes of Beauvau, of "disseminating a Salafist Islam", of "legitimising polygamy", "of calling discrimination against Jews, homosexuals and women “, to” legitimize the violence against the cartoonists “and to” rejoice in the attacks with conspiratorial remarks “, attributing them to” the French State, Islamophobic “.

The Ministry of the Interior claims that, under its influence, several young people attending the mosque have become "radicalized" and that some have "left France to study in Koranic schools, in Egypt or in Yemen".

The AFMAO Association, which manages this place of worship, is also accused of "supporting" the "words" and "actions" of this imam, "which have never been the subject of any condemnation or moderation". on his part.

Contacted by AFP, AFMAO did not respond immediately.

“A very small association”

“Obernai is a city of 12,000 inhabitants, we have two mosques, a Franco-Turkish one, which can accommodate 100 to 120 people, which works very well, and another managed by the Franco-Maghreb and African Association of Obernai.

It is a very small association which has I think 10 to 15 members, for which we had made premises available a few years ago for a cultural place, ”noted the mayor of the city Bernard Fischer, in office for twenty and one year old.

“But it gradually turned into a mosque.

It only brings together a very small circle of people who come to pray there, five to ten people,” he continued.

“We had two alerts from people who had raised doubts.

And four months ago I informed the association that I wanted to recover the premises,

located right in the middle of where we are organizing other events on December 31st.

They told me there was no problem.

But in any case I do not know the individuals targeted by the Ministry of the Interior.

»

The Regional Council of Muslim Worship indicated for its part that it did not know this mosque, which is not a member of the body.

“Over the past two years, 23 separatist places of worship have been closed,” tweeted Gérald Darmanin.

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