### Controversial Report on Muslim Brotherhood's Influence Sparks Outcry in France

PARIS - Scholars and members of France's Muslim community are voicing strong objections to a leaked government report alleging the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood within France and across Europe. This report, commissioned by the French government last year, claims that the Egypt-based Islamist organization is attempting to sway policymakers to further its aim of establishing a state governed by Islamic law.

The office of French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that an official version of the report will be publicly released by the end of this week, following an initial leak to media outlets including POLITICO. While the leaked document claims to present several pieces of evidence, the connections to the Islamist group often appear tenuous. According to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, certain aspects of the report will remain classified for security reasons.

Political scientist Franck Frégosi, an expert on Islam in France and a source cited in the report, has criticized the document's "alarmist" tone in several media interviews. On France Inter, Frégosi argued that the report attributes everyday practices of Muslim individuals, such as wearing a headscarf, to the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood, which he believes is an overreach.

Adding to the criticism, Nadia Fadil, an associate professor at Belgium’s Katholieke Universiteit Leuven who studies Islam in Europe, contended that the report simplistically lumps together various Muslim groups under the umbrella of the Muslim Brotherhood. She compared this to unfairly associating all left-wing movements, from communism to social democracy, with Karl Marx.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith has expressed particular concern over the report’s implications. This organization, established by former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and once the government’s primary contact on Muslim affairs, worries that the severe allegations against institutions linked to the Muslim Brotherhood could foster a climate of "constant suspicion" towards French Muslims.

Organizations named in the report have also pushed back against the accusations. The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO), identified as a Muslim Brotherhood affiliate, issued a statement rejecting any connections to political entities. Similarly, the Federation of French Muslims, described in the report as the "national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France," called the allegations "unfounded."