The Ibn Badis Institute, located in Nanterre, plans to double its reception capacity by acquiring the neighboring buildings, formerly occupied by the National Agency for Adult Vocational Training (AFPA). This project would allow the establishment, made up of a mosque, a private school as well as an educational institute, to move from 1,500 to 3,000 faithful. If this project were to succeed, the institute would become one of the largest places of worship in the Hauts-de-Seine department.
On December 9, the Nanterre municipal council approved the declassification of this plot, thus authorizing its removal from the public domain with a view to sale to the institute. A decision which did not fail to arouse strong reactions, given the controversies surrounding this establishment.
An establishment known for its problematic teaching of radical Islam
Led by Rachid Abdouni, a figure criticized for his proselytism and his hostile positions towards republican institutions, the Ibn Badis institute has been in the crosshairs of the authorities for several years. As early as 2016, National Education inspections highlighted gaps in the teaching of fundamental knowledge. Then, in 2021, the institute attracted the attention of the authorities with two formal notices issued following checks carried out in October of the same year. These pressures had raised fears of an imminent closure of the establishment, a situation that the institute had already experienced in 2017. In 2023, a new inspection confirmed these concerns, pointing to a lack of incentive for critical thinking.
These elements led to the prefect Alexandre Brugère to take legal action to prevent the sale of the plotbelieving that such a project could aggravate the problems already identified. According to information fromEurope 1the prefect of Hauts-de-Seine would also have proposed alternative solutions, in particular to put an end to street prayers, an argument often used by the institute to justify its need for expansion.
Also read: OQTF: the imam of the Montmagny mosque was deported to Pakistan
