A mosque was closed by order of the French Interior Minister.
The French interior minister has ordered the closure of a mosque in the Paris suburbs. The government is demonstrating its desire to take a firm stand against radical Islam by attacking extremist individuals and groups.
Mass protests over the killing of a teacher in France have added new dimensions to the country's fight against Islamic fundamentalism. French Interior Minister Gérald Darmignan ordered the closure of a mosque in the Paris suburbs.
The interior minister told France 1 TV channel FT1 on Monday evening (October 19) that the mosque in the Pantin neighborhood on the outskirts of Paris had condemned the teaching style of the murdered teacher on Friday by posting a video on Facebook.
According to the Interior Minister, the "imam" of the aforementioned mosque had published the address of the school and threatened the history teacher.
On Monday, 34 police operations were also carried out against individuals and groups close to extremist Islamists.
The interior minister stressed that Islamists were not necessarily linked to the history teacher's murder. He said the goal was to "send a firm message: We will not give the enemies of the republic even a minute."
Samuel Petty, a 47-year-old teacher, was murdered by an 18-year-old near the school he taught at on Friday (October 16). The history teacher had shown cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad to his students in class to explain the concept of freedom of expression. The father of one of the student’s daughters has since gone online to incite Muslim fanatics against him.
French President Emmanuel Macron immediately condemned the killing as an act of terrorism.
The attacker, an 18-year-old Chechen who had gone to France 12 years ago, was shot dead by police.
An online group called BarakaCity has attacked the French interior minister, claiming that Macron's government is trying to exploit a "tragedy." The group, which provides "humanitarian services," is under police surveillance for extremist tendencies.
Source: DW
