The Bleuets mosque has five days to make a decision.

In Marseilles (southern France), the Bleuets mosque has been at the heart of an administrative controversy for several weeks, following a request by Gérald Darmanin, the resigning Minister of the Interior, to close the place of worship. The reason for this was the preaching of Imam Ismail (whose real name is Smaïn Bendjilali), which was said to undermine the values of the Republic and incite violence.

Yesterday, the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture informed the Bleuets mosque association that if it wished to remain open, it would have to part company with Imam Ismail. A “request” which is part of a wider framework of political persecution of French Muslim leaders who denounce state Islamophobia and the current gen0cide in Palest!ne.

After a day in police custody last Tuesday, Imam Ismail has been summoned to appear before the Criminal Court on October 3 for “apology for terrorism”.