France has shut down a mosque for six months amid a continuous movement against Muslims and their areas of worship.
The Al Farouk mosque in the Pessac district, near the city of Bordeaux, was closed for defending “radical Islam” and “spreading Salafist ideology”, the Gironde governorate said in a statement on Monday.
It also accused them of spreading hate messages against Israel and supporting terrorist organizations or those defending “radical Islam”.
In August, France’s most elevated constitutional authority approved a controversial “anti-separatist” law criticized for segregating Muslims, removing only two of its articles.
France has been criticized by international organizations and NGOs, especially the United Nations, for targeting and marginalizing Muslims with the law.
The “anti-separatism” bill was passed by the National Assembly in July, despite strong opposition from both right-wing and left-wing lawmakers.
The government claims that the law is intended to strengthen France’s secular system, but critics believe it restricts religious freedom and marginalizes Muslims.
The law has been criticized for targeting France’s Muslim community – the largest in Europe, with 3.35 million members – and banning many aspects of their lives.
It allows officials to intervene in mosques and unions responsible for their administration and control the finances of Muslim-affiliated associations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).
It also restricts the educational options of Muslims by making homeschooling subject to official permission.
Under the law, patients are prohibited from choosing their doctors based on gender for religious or other reasons and “secularism education” has been made compulsory for all civil servants.
