The Republican and former agriculture minister, has called on all “disillusioned Socialists” to vote for him in the first and most decisive round of the French elections, which will be held on November 20 and 27.
Mr Le Maire, 47, who is known for his strong anti-immigration stance, told French magazine Le Journal du Dimanche political Islam had been gnawing away at France’s secular values for years; and Islamic institutions were being run from afar by powerful religious leaders based in more radical Muslim nations, including Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
He said: “Political Islam is like gangrene. It’s an infection which has caused France’s liberal traditions to slowly rot away.
“There is an urgent need to regain control and to reorganise the way in which Islamic institutions based in this country are run.”
The French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) – which acts as a bridge between Muslims and the government – is “doomed to failure”, he said, and has helped give Salafi-jihadist leaders and militants a voice.
The council must become more “transparent and secular” if it is to succeed in helping Muslims integrate into French society, he warned. [Daily Express] Read more
