France: Mosque closure fuels fear of state overreach on Muslim worship

France: Mosque closure fuels fear of state overreach on Muslim worship Submitted by Tassa Adidi on Thu, 08/20/2026 - 09:06 Latest shutdown decision, which was accused of incriminating Islamic texts, reignites debate about French government's attempts to control the practice of Islam A man reads the Quran as Muslims wait to break their fast at a mosque during the month of Ramadan in Calais, northern France, on 10 March 2026 (Sameer al-Doumy/AFP) Off In Aulnay-sous-Bois, in the northeastern suburbs of Paris, a recent court decision to uphold the six-month closure of a mosque for inciting violence and terrorism has caused a stir. The Montreuil Administrative Court rejected earlier this month an attempt to suspend the July prefecture order against the Attaqwa Mosque, also known as the Chanteloup Mosque, named after a neighbourhood in the south of the city with a large immigrant population. Located in the heart of a social housing complex, the religious establishment looks like a residential apartment block.