ALBAWABA - After a sensitive study on the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in France leaked, French President Emmanuel Macron allegedly snapped at members of his cabinet during a heated Defense Council meeting.
The French president was greatly embarrassed when the study, which was supposed to be released officially earlier this week, was leaked to right-wing media sites.
A Politico story claims that Macron blamed his ministers for not coming up with sufficient answers to the Muslim Brotherhood's escalating ideological and security danger. Political tensions have increased as a result of the leak, particularly when the information was disseminated by conservative and far-right media outlets.
Some believe that the leak is connected to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, who has become more popular since entering the Macron administration in September. In a number of television appearances, Retailleau, who is now the leader of the center-right Republicans party, has discussed the findings and said that the Brotherhood is attempting to impose Islamic rule on French society.
According to the stolen material, the Brotherhood is endangering national unity in France and Europe by advancing a radical agenda. Macron's aides have attempted to shift accountability from the Interior Ministry by claiming that the Defense Council will make all formal decisions on the matter.
The Union of Islamic Organizations in France (UOIF), which it refers to as the primary representative organization of the Muslim Brotherhood in France, was the focus of the study, which was written by top officials on commission from the French government.
The UOIF responded by condemning the results as harmful and without merit and cautioning against confusing Islam with radicalism. "We strongly reject any effort to tie us to a foreign political project," the group said, cautioning that such language incites violence and adds to the stigmatization of Muslims.
As another illustration of the effects of growing Islamophobia, the organization pointed to the recent murder of Aboubacar Cissé, a 22-year-old Malian man who was repeatedly stabbed while worshiping in a mosque in southern France.
The study has sparked intense political discussion. Marine Le Pen, the leader of the far-right, reaffirmed her long-standing demands to fight Islamic radicalism and accused the government of passivity. She underlined the need for more robust controls on social media.
In a radio interview, Jordan Bardella, the head of her party, reiterated such comments, saying that the National Rally will seek to outlaw the Muslim Brotherhood completely if elected.
However, Jean-Luc Mélenchon, a well-known left-winger, denounced what he called the rise in Islamophobia in France. He accused authorities of stoking panic and giving legitimacy to far-right conspiratorial discourse.
