French Government Moves to Dissolve Islamist Publisher Accused of Promoting Jihad

"I have initiated the procedure to dissolve the Islamist publishing house "Nawa", in particular due to the distribution of several works legitimizing jihad," Gérald Darmanin tweeted on Friday. "Its editorial line is clearly anti-universalist and in direct opposition to Western values. It has distributed several works legitimizing jihad," the entourage of the minister said to AFP, specifying that its leaders are "linked to the jihadist sphere". According to the decree published on Thursday, September 16 in the Official Journal, a measure to freeze the assets targeting the association and its leaders: Sami Mlaiki, alias Abû Soleiman Al-Kaabi, and Aïssam Moussadak, alias Aïssam Aït Yahya, has also been taken for a period of six months.

Based in Pamiers in the Ariège, this publishing house had been declared in the sub-prefecture of Pamiers in 2008 under the name "Nawa Centre for Oriental Studies and Translation". Its mission is to "enhance the human and political sciences derived from the Muslim heritage" and to contribute "to the renewal of these disciplines through the study of the Western world or Occidentology, the history of contemporary ideas and political doctrines," as stated on its website.