The rector of the Grand Mosque in Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, issued instructions to Muslims in France to “counter the worrying rise of the far-right,” after meeting Algerian President Abdelmadjid Tebboune on Monday in Algiers.
This move comes as Tebboune has repeatedly expressed concerns over the pro-Morocco positions adopted by French right-wing parties, especially their support for the “Moroccanity of the Sahara.”
Algeria also fears a potential renegotiation or cancellation of the 1968 French-Algerian migration treaty, which grants Algerians a privileged exceptional migration regime, serving as an important social safety valve for Algerian youth and unemployed.
According to several French newspapers, Hafiz, the former lawyer of the Polisario Front, is playing the role of an “unofficial Algerian ambassador,” attempting to “instrumentalize Islam in France to serve Algeria’s interests.”
Hafiz did not hesitate to fan the flames following the riots after the killing of the French-Algerian Nahel, later granting unofficial support to the Insoumise party, urging other Muslims to vote for this party.