Four mosques in France have been closed after many people who attended them reportedly joined extremist movements. The places of worship, French officials said Wednesday, promoted violence and ideologies that ran contrary to French values.
The closures were made via a national state of emergency that was initiated following terrorist attacks, including one in November of last year in Paris that killed 130 people plus the seven terrorist attackers.
“Under the guise of ritual ceremonies, these places [harbored] meetings aimed at promoting radical ideology, [which is] contrary to the values of the [French] Republic and may constitute a serious risk to security and public order,” Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve said. He said that the mosques had spread “hatred and violence.”
The interior minister also reaffirmed the country’s commitment to “allow the peaceful coexistence of all [places of] worship in compliance with the laws of the Republic.”
The crackdown on the four mosques comes after a July announcement that the government was considering a temporary ban on foreign financing for mosques.
Sources
http://www.lemonde.fr/police-justice/article/2016/11/02/quatre-mosquees-d-ile-de-france-fermees-pour-cause-d-ideologie-radicale_5024404_1653578.html
