French authorities close Seine-Saint-Denis mosque for six months, citing incitement to violence and glorification of terrorism

Closure announcement

The préfecture of Seine-Saint-Denis announced Monday the six-month closure of the Chanteloup mosque in Aulnay-sous-Bois, invoking powers under the internal security code. The order, effective immediately, accuses the place of worship of disseminating ideas that provoke violence, hatred, and discrimination, and that glorify terrorist acts while encouraging their commission.

“This closure order was taken on the basis of article L. 227-1 of the internal security code, because of the remarks, ideas or theories disseminated in this mosque and on the imams' social networks, which provoke violence, hatred or discrimination, glorify acts of terrorism and provoke their commission.”

Legal basis and grounds

The legal foundation cited by the prefecture is article L. 227-1 of the code de la sécurité intérieure, which allows administrative closure of places of worship when activities inside them threaten public order. The préfecture said the decision followed monitoring of both regular Friday sermons and content posted online by the mosque's imams, as well as speeches by occasional guest speakers invited to the premises.

Radical ideology and specific example

According to authorities, the mosque propagates a radical Islamist ideology that echoes the rhetoric of terrorist organisations, legitimises jihad and celebrates death as a martyr. Among the examples cited was a video published on X several months earlier in which an imam who had delivered at least one lecture at the mosque encouraged Muslims to strike their children aged at least 11 if they failed to pray.

“Through the sermons of the mosque's regular imams and their dissemination on social networks, as well as through the speeches of occasional guests it invites, the mosque spreads a radical Islamist ideology that takes up the rhetoric of terrorist organisations, legitimises jihad and glorifies martyrdom.”

Response and next steps

The mosque could not be reached by Agence France-Presse on Monday evening for comment on the closure decision. The six-month closure is the maximum permissible period under the internal security code without further judicial review, and places the Chanteloup mosque among a small number of French places of worship shut down on national security grounds in recent years.