Marseille Mosque Shutdown Sparks Religious Freedom Debate

The prefecture of Bouches-du-Rhône ordered, by decree on Monday, October 6, the administrative closure of the Mosquée des Bleuets, in the 13th arrondissement of Marseille, for at least two months due to sermons advocating "a practice of Islam based on a fundamentalist vision of religion," as well as a "legitimization of jihad and sharia," likely to "provoke hatred, violence or discrimination towards certain categories of people." "This is a sad news for the association, the faithful and the inhabitants of the city of Marseille," the mosque association said in a statement. It says it is mobilized to fight "against this unjust and abusive decision in compliance with the law and in a peaceful manner." "The Mosquée des Bleuets is open, and will remain so for the duration of the procedure," said Rafik Chekkat, one of the defense lawyers, on the X network.

On the same social network, the imam of the mosque, Ismail Bendjilali, reacted to this prefectural decree: "This decision is based on serious and false accusations against me personally: I am accused of ’apology for terrorism’ and ’incitement to hatred.’ I categorically reject these accusations. They are the result of a truncated and politicized reading of religious statements, diverted from their meaning. I have never called for hatred, violence or division." He announced an urgent appeal before the administrative court of Marseille to request the suspension of the decree. Last May, the imam had received a suspended six-month prison sentence and a fine of 2,000 euros for "apology for terrorism."

The Departmental Council of the Muslim Cult of Bouches-du-Rhône (CDCM 13) also did not fail to react to this decision. "By sanctioning a place of worship, it is in fact the faithful themselves who are penalized, taken hostage by a procedure for which they are not responsible," it said.