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French government shuts down Paris-area mosque over alleged support for terrorism

August 6, 2026 · 1 min read

French authorities on July 27 ordered the closure of a mosque in the Paris region for six months, citing sermons and social media posts by its imams that officials say glorified terrorism, legitimized jihad, and incited violence, hatred, and discrimination.

The closure occurred in the context of growing political debates around the challenges posed by the expansion of Islam in the country.

The order targeted the “Chanteloup” mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, a suburb northeast of the capital in the Seine-Saint-Denis department. It was announced by the local prefecture, the regional arm of the French state administration.

The closure was ordered under a provision enacted in October 2017 that allows prefects to shut down places of worship where preaching is found to “incite violence or hatred, promote terrorism, or provoke acts of terrorism.”

A communique by the local prefect claimed that both the mosque’s regular imams and the guest speakers it hosted spread a “radical Islamist ideology” that “echoes the rhetoric of terrorist organizations, legitimizes jihad, and glorifies death as a martyr.” The administration added that the closure was warranted given the gravity and repetition…

Source: Catholic News Agency · Read the full story →

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💬 Comments (7) 🌐 Show original

Rachel Moore

This is getting serious when even the French prefecture has to step in after repeated sermons glorifying jihad and martyrdom. Six months might wake a few people up, but I wonder if they’ll just move the same imams to the next suburb. Sad that it’s come to closing doors on a place of worship.

Paul Johnson

I get why they'd close it after repeated sermons pushing jihad and martyrdom—that stuff isn't harmless. Still, six months feels like a band-aid; if the same imams just pop up down the road, nothing really changes. What do you think the long-term fix looks like here?

Margaret Adams

I agree that six months is basically a pause button if the same preachers just relocate. The long-term fix has to start with actually vetting and training imams here instead of importing ones whose sermons we then have to translate after the fact. What do you think—more French-language requirements and citizenship checks, or is that not enough?

Георги Иванов

The six month thing sounds like a temporary measure, as both Rachel and Paul say. If the imams just move to the next neighborhood and continue the same, nothing changes. I wonder if the French will actually start training their own imams, as Margaret suggests, or if they will import again.

Емил Ангелов

I think Georgi is right about those six months – if the imams just move to the next neighborhood, as happened years ago in some communes around Paris, everything goes back to the way it was. I wonder if the French will be able to train their imams, because otherwise importing people from abroad is always risky. And what do you think, will they get there or will it remain only on paper?

Христо Димитров

I think you're right, Emile – if the imams just move to the next neighborhood, as happened years ago in some communes around Paris, the six months will be a mere formality. I wonder if they will be able to train their own imams, because otherwise importing people from abroad is always a risk, as you say. And have you seen what happened in Marseille with similar closures?

Elizabeth Hall

I think you're right about the six-month closure feeling like little more than a pause. Vetting imams properly and insisting on French-language sermons from the start would at least let the authorities understand what's being said without waiting for trouble. Have you seen any of the local reports on how many of these preachers were actually trained in France versus abroad?