French President Emmanuel Macron is expected to issue new measures to tackle infiltration of state agencies by the Muslim Brotherhood after a new report to the Defence Council on Wednesday.
The dossier is also with Minister of the Interior Bruno Retailleau, who has accused the Islamist group of seeking to establish a “caliphate” in France.
“The report very clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood, and it proposes ways to remedy this threat,” an adviser to the president told reporters before the Defence Council meeting.
Action must be taken to stop the spread of political Islamism, according to the report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP.
“The reality of this threat, even if it is long-term and does not involve violent action, poses a risk of damage to the fabric of society and republican institutions … and, more broadly, to national cohesion,” it said.
The Muslim Brotherhood's strategy is to infiltrate society “from the bottom up” through grass roots organisations and municipalities, the adviser to Mr Macron said. Education Minister Elisabeth Borne and Sports Minister Marie Barsacq are scheduled to attend Wednesday's meeting because their sectors are regarded as vulnerable to the infiltration strategy.
What characterises the Muslim Brotherhood is “dissimulation,” said the adviser. It aims “to conquer the institutions of power, particularly municipalities, to gradually replace the rules of social life that we uphold today with the rules of social life advocated by Sharia, and to implement new rules across the national territory”.
The report said that “no recent document demonstrates the desire of Muslims in France to establish an Islamic state in France or to enforce Sharia there”.
Subtle strategy
Muslims of France (Musulmans de France), formerly the Union of Islamic Organisations of France, is identified as “the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France”. “We are not dealing with aggressive separatism” but a “subtle yet no less subversive aim for the institutions,” the report said.
The report estimates that there are 139 places of worship affiliated with Muslims of France, with 68 more considered “close” to the federation. This represents seven per cent of the 2,800 Muslim places of worship listed in France, the report said.
The Islamist movement is losing its influence in the Arab world and “focusing its efforts on Europe”, it added. A public awareness campaign must be combined with renewed efforts to promote secular discourse and “strong and positive signals to the Muslim community” including the teaching of Arabic, the report said.
Hate crimes including Islamophobia are on the rise in France. Mr Macron has warned against conflating the country's Muslim population – the largest in Europe – with the Muslim Brotherhood. In April, a young man was stabbed to death in a mosque by an attacker who used profanity against Islam.
“We are currently working with the government to address this very strong demand from the Muslim community, seeking further improvements in how we address this hatred,” the presidential adviser said. Attacks against Jews have increased with the Israel-Gaza war.
A law of 2021 against separatism gives French prefectures increased power to shut down associations and businesses believed to be linked to political Islam. The bill was adopted as France was reeling from ISIS attacks that killed hundreds and the murder of a schoolteacher.
European aims
After the law was passed, 741 establishments were closed either temporarily or permanently. They include places of worship, schools or educational institutions, sports and cultural clubs and businesses, including grocery stores. Five Islamist associations or groups were dissolved.
The French government also believes that groups promoting political Islamism would seek to benefit from funding by the European Union.
Minister for Europe Benjamin Haddad will present a plan next week in Brussels for the Commission to increase its vigilance and avoid funding entities linked with the Muslim Brotherhood.
“The European dimension of the Brotherhood movement and its desire for infiltration from the ground up applies to municipalities and associations, as they do to international, and particularly European, institutions,” the presidential adviser said.
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The years Ramadan fell in May
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When is VAR used?
• Goals
• Penalty decisions
• Direct red-card incidents
• Mistaken identity
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
The years Ramadan fell in May
ESSENTIALS
The flights
Emirates flies direct from Dubai to Rio de Janeiro from Dh7,000 return including taxes. Avianca fliles from Rio to Cusco via Lima from $399 (Dhxx) return including taxes.
The trip
From US$1,830 per deluxe cabin, twin share, for the one-night Spirit of the Water itinerary and US$4,630 per deluxe cabin for the Peruvian Highlands itinerary, inclusive of meals, and beverages. Surcharges apply for some excursions.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
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RESULT
Bayern Munich 5 Eintrracht Frankfurt 2
Bayern: Goretzka (17'), Müller (41'), Lewandowski (46'), Davies (61'), Hinteregger (74' og)
Frankfurt: Hinteregger (52', 55')
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
England World Cup squad
Eoin Morgan (capt), Moeen Ali, Jofra Archer, Jonny Bairstow, Jos Buttler (wkt), Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Liam Plunkett, Adil Rashid, Joe Root, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes, James Vince, Chris Woakes, Mark Wood
ZAYED SUSTAINABILITY PRIZE
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No more lice
Defining head lice
Pediculus humanus capitis are tiny wingless insects that feed on blood from the human scalp. The adult head louse is up to 3mm long, has six legs, and is tan to greyish-white in colour. The female lives up to four weeks and, once mature, can lay up to 10 eggs per day. These tiny nits firmly attach to the base of the hair shaft, get incubated by body heat and hatch in eight days or so.
Identifying lice
Lice can be identified by itching or a tickling sensation of something moving within the hair. One can confirm that a person has lice by looking closely through the hair and scalp for nits, nymphs or lice. Head lice are most frequently located behind the ears and near the neckline.
Treating lice at home
Head lice must be treated as soon as they are spotted. Start by checking everyone in the family for them, then follow these steps. Remove and wash all clothing and bedding with hot water. Apply medicine according to the label instructions. If some live lice are still found eight to 12 hours after treatment, but are moving more slowly than before, do not re-treat. Comb dead and remaining live lice out of the hair using a fine-toothed comb.
After the initial treatment, check for, comb and remove nits and lice from hair every two to three days. Soak combs and brushes in hot water for 10 minutes.Vacuum the floor and furniture, particularly where the infested person sat or lay.
Courtesy Dr Vishal Rajmal Mehta, specialist paediatrics, RAK Hospital
Overview
What: The Arab Women’s Sports Tournament is a biennial multisport event exclusively for Arab women athletes.
When: From Sunday, February 2, to Wednesday, February 12.
Where: At 13 different centres across Sharjah.
Disciplines: Athletics, archery, basketball, fencing, Karate, table tennis, shooting (rifle and pistol), show jumping and volleyball.
Participating countries: Algeria, Bahrain, Comoros, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Oman, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Sudan, Syria, Tunisia, Qatar and UAE.
Married Malala
Malala Yousafzai is enjoying married life, her father said.
The 24-year-old married Pakistan cricket executive Asser Malik last year in a small ceremony in the UK.
Ziauddin Yousafzai told The National his daughter was ‘very happy’ with her husband.
WHAT ARE NFTs?
Non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are tokens that represent ownership of unique items. They allow the tokenisation of things such as art, collectibles and even real estate.
An NFT can have only one official owner at one time. And since they're minted and secured on the Ethereum blockchain, no one can modify the record of ownership, not even copy-paste it into a new one.
This means NFTs are not interchangeable and cannot be exchanged with other items. In contrast, fungible items, such as fiat currencies, can be exchanged because their value defines them rather than their unique properties.
Mohammed bin Zayed Majlis
The burning issue
The internal combustion engine is facing a watershed moment – major manufacturer Volvo is to stop producing petroleum-powered vehicles by 2021 and countries in Europe, including the UK, have vowed to ban their sale before 2040. The National takes a look at the story of one of the most successful technologies of the last 100 years and how it has impacted life in the UAE.
Read part four: an affection for classic cars lives on
Read part three: the age of the electric vehicle begins
Read part one: how cars came to the UAE
Zayed Sustainability Prize
