Roubaix Mayor Responds to Controversial Report on Radical Islam in French City

In this Zone Interdite report, Amine Elbahi, a 25-year-old lawyer from Roubaix, is concerned about a "communitarianism [...] which in a certain way nourishes radical Islamism" in his city. Comments that have provoked a reaction from the mayor of Roubaix. "In this moment when invective is more heard than nuance, the ’Roubaix bashing’ continues, to the detriment of its inhabitants and those who act on the ground," laments Guillaume Delbar in a press release, assuring that he is striving to "build bridges rather than walls" between the inhabitants. "Roubaix is not an easy city - 100,000 inhabitants of 97 nationalities since 2014 -, but it is rich in all its differences." But "for a few years and even more so in these last tense weeks on the theme of Immigration, I have the impression that as soon as we talk about Islam, our country goes crazy," he points out.

The mayor of Roubaix is also criticized in the report for having granted funding to the support association "Ambitions and Initiatives for Success" (AAIR), accused of Islamic proselytism. "I admit: I [...] supported an association that had just split from a mosque that had become Salafist," acknowledges Guillaume Delbar, who justifies his action by the fact that this association "was developing a wonderful program of academic support for Roubaix children." "This association has been unanimously supported by the local authorities for years [...] I may have been deceived, I may have been mistaken. But the debate must not be manipulated by those who see separatists everywhere," he adds.

The elected official also denounced "amalgams" between "Muslims, Islam, Islamist and terrorism, taken up by populists (and) which give rise to feelings of hatred in an anxious country." His wish, he will say, is for France "to regain the values of tolerance and respect for others."