The French government closes an imam school for inciting terrorism, hatred and discrimination.
The European Institute of Humanities in Nièvre was under investigation for links to the Muslim Brotherhood and foreign funding.
Image of the IESH campus at the Centre Bouteloin (Saint-Léger-de-Fougeret, Nièvre)
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On 3 September 2025, the French Council of Ministers approved the dissolution of the European Institute of Human Sciences (IESH), an imam school based in Nièvre. According to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, the institute is “suspected of legitimising armed jihad and inciting violent acts” (Le Monde, 3/09/2025). The dissolution decree alludes to the incitement to terrorism, hatred and discrimination.
The IESH was founded in 1992 by the former Union of Islamic Organisations of France (now Muslims of France). For decades it offered training in Islamic theology, law and the Arabic language, with the aim of preparing imams for French mosques. However, in recent years It had been the subject of investigations on suspicion of money laundering and undeclared foreign funding, particularly from Qatar. By the end of 2024, the authorities had already frozen the centre's financial assets.
The IESH has its campus at the Centre Bouteloin, in the municipality of Saint-Léger-de-Fougeret, in the Nièvre department (Burgundy–Franche-Comté region).
The institute defends itself against the accusations.
The officials of the’European Institute of Human Sciences (IESH) have denied the accusations made by the French government. The dean, Larabi Becheri remarked that the centre formed “French-style imams to prevent radicalism”and insisted that their academic activity had always been transparent and geared towards integration. In a June statement, when they already knew they were under investigation, The IESH maintained that its task was strictly «Cultural and pedagogical, »never militant or ideological." According to Becheri, the dissolution is more a response to the political climate than to concrete evidence of fomenting extremism.
Several voices from the institute's environment have emphasised that The IESH represented a tool for professionalising religious training. and prevent future imams from seeking references in foreign discourses. Defenders of the centre warn that its closure could leave a gap in the training of imams in the country and, paradoxically, favour training channels less controlled by French institutions.
Political and Islamic support for the government's decision
Several political and religious figures have applauded the dissolution of the European Institute of Human Sciences. The leader of the IDL Marion Maréchal He described the closure as “The greatest defeat of the Muslim Brotherhood in France” (Chinese News, 3/09/2025). According to her, the closure send a clear message against ’entrist Islamism“ which, in their view, had contaminated the centre of Nièvre.
Also the imam Hassen Chalghoumi, known for his critical stance on radical Islamism, welcomed the measure as a “Great victory for the Republic against Islamist entrism” (Interview.fr, 3/09/2025). Chalghoumi, who months earlier he held responsible Hamas of everything that happens in Gaza , considered the dissolution as a necessary action to protect coexistence and security in France.
A measure within the strategy against Islamism
The dissolution of the IESH is part of the French government's broader policy to limit the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood and other Islamist currents in the territory. In this context, The closure of the Nièvre institute is presented by the government as another step in defending republican values against projects perceived as contrary to secularism and the French integrative model.. Despite criticism from its leaders and supporters, the dissolution symbolises Paris's determination to draw a clear red line against any institution considered close to political Islamism.
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