Police in France have arrested a Muslim leader who reportedly issued a fatwa, or the Islamic death warrant, on the school teacher beheaded in Paris on Friday, the French-language newspaper Le Soir confirmed on Monday.
The suspect, Abdelhakim Sefrioui, leads an organization called “Cheikh Yassine Collective,” which was set up in the memory of Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, the slain founder of the Gaza-based terrorist group Hamas.
Apart from running the Hamas-linked group, Sefrioui was a prominent “anti-Islamophobia” campaigner in France. The left-wing UK newspaper Guardian described him as a “well-known Islamist radical with links to the organisation who routinely uses social media and local campaigns to pressure the government over alleged Islamophobia.”
Sefrioui created “one of the videos in which the father of a girl in the school accused the teacher, Samuel Paty, of having insulted Islam,” Reuters reported. The father of the girl was also arrested in this connection.
“They apparently launched a fatwa against the teacher,” French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said on a radio show referring to these two men.
Following these calls, the 47-year-old middle school teacher was beheaded by a Muslim refugee from Chechnya, Russia. Days ahead of the killing, Paty had shown Mohammad caricatures from the Charlie Hebdo magazine to his class as part of a lecture on free speech. The attacker, before being shot down by the police, was heard shouting “Allahu Akbar.” He also posted the photos of the victim on Twitter, and wrote insults calling President Emmanuel Macron and French people “infidels” and “dogs,” BBC reported.
The Times of Israel news website on Monday reported the arrest of the Hamas-linked activists:
The father of a student and the head of an Islamist pro-Hamas group urged the killing of a French teacher who was beheaded for showing pupils cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed, France’s interior minister said Monday, adding that police had carried out dozens of raids in connection with the attack.
“They apparently launched a fatwa against the teacher,” minister Gerald Darmanin told Europe 1 radio of the two men, who are among 11 people being held over the deadly attack by a young Chechen man.
One of the men was named as Abdelhakim Sefrioui, president of the “Cheikh Yassine collective.” Sheikh Ahmad Yassin was a founder of the Hamas terror group. He was killed in an Israeli airstrike in the Gaza Strip in 2004.
According to French newspaper Liberation, Sefrioui was known to French security services for his Islamist activities and anti-Semitic speeches.
In July 2014, Sefrioui participated in protests in Paris, chanting slogans in praise of Palestinian terror groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
He reportedly denounced the teacher in a video posted to social media a few days prior to the attack. (…)
The parent had named Paty and given the school’s address in a social media post just days before the assault
A photo of the teacher and a message confessing to his murder were found on the cellphone of his killer, 18-year-old Chechen Abdullakh Anzorov, who was shot dead by police.
Witnesses said the suspect was spotted at the school on Friday asking pupils where he could find Paty.
The beheading of the Parisian teacher also highlights the role played by Islamic charities and NGOs in radicalizing France’s growing Muslim population. Many of these organizations are working to establish the dominance of Islamic doctrine, or Sharia, in France by silencing dissent in the name of “Islamophobia.”
French Interior Minister Darmanin called for the disbanding of a leading “Islamophobia” lobby group, “Collectif Contre l’islamophobie en France” (CCIF). He described the CCIF and similar groups as “enemies of the Republic.” The country “must stop being naive and face the truth: there is no possible accommodation with radical Islamism,” he added.
President Macron echoed his minister’s sentiments.
“Fear is about to change sides. Islamists must not be allowed sleep soundly in our country,” Macron assured on Sunday.
Despite clear and harsh words, it is unclear if Macron’s government is willing to take actual measures to stem the rising tide of radical Islam in the country. According to European Union counter-terrorism data released three years ago, France is home to 17,000 radical Muslims. Given Europe’s open borders policy towards immigrants from Muslim-majority countries of North African and the Middle East, the figures for Britain, Germany, and other Western European states are just as alarming.
Marine Le Pen, France’s top opposition politician, slammed Macron’s remarks as inadequate to face the threat of Islamism. She called for a “wartime legislation” to combat jihad in France.
“Against an organized and already installed force … our president has proposed an inadequate and anachronistic containment strategy,” Le Pen, who heads the National Rally party, said. “The situation calls for a strategy of reconquest.”
Cross-posted from Legal Insurrection.
Seth says
Decapitating ‘islamophobes’. Yep, that’ll lessen the (entirely rational) mistrust of Islam.
Concerned Mom says
Where is the Imam’s fatwa? If there really was a fatwa, I’d like to see it please. I’m not confident that France’s Interior Minister knows exactly what a fatwa is. I’ve seen a report with him stating that BOTH the Imam AND the father of one of the students issued a fatwa. The dad? Really? Only a Mufti has the authority to issue a fatwa. The account above quotes the Interior Minister saying, “They APPARENTLY launched a fatwa…” — even less of an indication that the imam actually had done so.
Yes, prosecute everyone involved in plotting the killing. But France is arresting additional people for “spreading hate.”
If there really was a fatwa that would be very important to know.
If there was no fatwa and French authorities are arresting the Imam and the dad and forcing the mosque to close for six months for “spreading hate” after concerned parents complained to the principal and to the school superintendent about a teacher showing 13-year-old school children a drawing of a naked man on elbows and knees with his hairy private parts hanging in full view, prophet or not, then freedom of expression is being attacked by both sides in France. Goodbye France. You have abandoned the very freedom of expression Samuel Paty was trying to inculcate in his students. It is a sad day for all of Western Civilization.
“Hate speech” law will lead to our defeat. Only the truth, and the freedom to speak it, can win this. France appears to have abandoned that, even in the wake of Samuel Paty giving his life for it.
gravenimage says
Concerned Mom wrote:
Where is the Imam’s fatwa? If there really was a fatwa, I’d like to see it please. I’m not confident that France’s Interior Minister knows exactly what a fatwa is. I’ve seen a report with him stating that BOTH the Imam AND the father of one of the students issued a fatwa. The dad? Really? Only a Mufti has the authority to issue a fatwa. The account above quotes the Interior Minister saying, “They APPARENTLY launched a fatwa…” — even less of an indication that the imam actually had done so.
………………….
This is just ridiculous–all “Concerned Mom” here has to do is watch the video:
“Breaking: Video that Motivated Muslim ‘Refugee’ in France to Behead Teacher Samuel Paty Revealed (Watch)”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/10/breaking-video-that-motivated-muslim-refugee-in-france-to-behead-teacher-samuel-paty-revealed-watch
(This has English subtitles)
This is a thinly-veiled call for violence, made by the Imam and with input from the father. No one has said that the father issued a separate fatwa.
One can argue whether this is a fatwa in the official sense, but it certainly broadly hints at doing violence–and clearly, the beheader took it to mean just that.
The implication that those inciting violence being investigated means that France is abandoning freedom of expression is bizarre. Inciting violence is not freedom of speech.
Concerned Mom says
If they incited violence, lock them up. Throw away the key. But I don’t see that in this video. After seeing your response I watched it again. The dad calls for the teacher to not be allowed to teach at French schools, saying that he needs to go educate himself.
The imam called for the teacher to be suspended. Where in the video is the call for the teacher to be killed? The Imam says if the superintendent didn’t do anything, they “had resolve to mobilize for an action” in front of the school and in front of the school district offices. Sounds like they were planning protests.
Then the school district called the father and said they were going to send an investigator. So the imam said, the machinery is starting to work, meaning, we’re getting somewhere with the complaint process, but urges parents to remain vigilant in watching what their children are being exposed to in the schools. He expresses concern about what might happen to Muslims if the broader society fosters a climate of hate, citing what happened in Sebrenica. I don’t see a threat anywhere in here. I see a concerned parent and an imam following the ordinary procedures for filing complaints. Where is the call to violence?
Punish the people who plotted the killing. But when authorities punish people whose only crime was to file a complaint according to established procedures, we lose our freedoms.
gravenimage says
Muslims regularly claim they are victims while actually urging the victimization of others.
And describing a demand for the crushing of freedom of speech as the actions of a “concerned parent” is pretty grotesque. Also note that this Imam named his group after a Jihad terrorist. No hint there…sarc/off
Giacomo Latta says
Dear CM,
When authorities allow immigrants into the country they are paid to protect and said immigrants use said country as a basis for operations such as expressing fatwas (in this case the right to kill) that conflict with said country’s collection of laws then some of us lose our freedoms, namely, Samuel Paty.
mortimer says
The ultimate purpose of the ‘Islamophobia’ slander/gas-lighting crowd is to silence analysis of jihad-terror by terrorizing the critics.
When everyone is too terrified to say anything whatsoever about Islam, then the jihadists will be able to push their totalitarian agenda without opposition.
Muslims never admit that AL WALAA WAL BARAA is everything and more than what ‘Islamophobia’ is supposed to be.
A Muslim religious scholar wrote that ‘Baraa’ means:
– To Hate
– To keep distance from
– To be enemy to
– To desert
– To decline to help
– To disrespect
– To put down
– Not to ally with
– Not to support
‘Baraa’ is an ‘essential’ teaching of Islam that all Muslims must both believe and practice for admission to Islamic paradise.
Verk says
The vilest specimens of primate to every curse God’s good Earth. A plague to humanity since their grotesque inception in the barren desert 1400 years ago.
Christopher Watson says
France should re-introduce the death penalty for anyone over the age of 21 issuing a fatwa. Since most fatwas are issued by foreign Imams in France there is a case for classing it treason.
revereridesagain says
It’s arguably the equivalent of murder-for-hire. The payment is 72 renewable virgin sex slaves. Not everything has to turn on a suitcase full of money.
Keith O says
My thoughts exactly. A fatwa is simply an open contract with the promise of paradise as payment.
In which case, whoever issues the fatwa should be charged with murder as well.
Michael Copeland says
Incitement to murder is a crime.
FYI says
Yes of course.Agreed.
But making a JOKE about an implement that may{or may not be used in murder*}is legally
1]NOT an incitement to murder.
2]NOT a crime.
{Why would it be except to a complete idiot or a simpleton of a lawyer?}
3]permission to use it in a homicide
*Of course an axe is ALSO used to chop wood..so merely mentioning an axe in a joke does not imply it has to have anything to do with murder does it?
“Trotskyites eh?Now where did i put my ice pick…”
…”..as i have to chop up some ice to make for the socialists’ margaritas”
…” as I am going up to the Matterhorn today with the Young Communists”
…” as i need to auction it off for the soviet orphans’ fund”
…” as i want to prank the Trotskies.”
mortimer told me my anti-Far lefties Joke{..i’m not anti Left as such ,but i am anti Far Lefties}
was incitement to murder.But the mere of an axe does not imply sinister intent as an axe is used outdoors for innocent purposes.
{admittedly that is how Trotsky met his unhappy end but that doesn’t mean i’m ok with murder or people should ‘try this at home’.DON’T!}
Who Knew a JOKE about a TOOL used to innocently chop wood could be ‘incitement to murder’?
Jayell says
‘Anti-Islamophobia’ campaigner issued death fatwa against teacher who showed Muhammad cartoon…’
So, a campaigner against the ‘irrational fear of islam’ issues a death threat, thus justifying the ‘rational fear of islam’.
That’s clever!
James Lincoln says
Spot on, Jayell…
Fred van de Bunt says
To get someone of the street, there has to be mention of “terrorism” or a crime. Apart from that, to gather proof can be tedious and very costly. A western society cannot afford to have in its basket to many rotten apples, otherwise it will go brkoe because of the costs.
Political Islam, Islamists, radical Islam, radical Islamism, and all the other labels, and all the other groups, are not punishable, and they know it.
Apart from that, they change labels frequently and make use of every possibility western society gives them, like hammering on the fact that they are a minority, marginalized, discriminated, maltreated by racists, and suffering from islamophobia…
The opportunities to go on like that are endless, and they know it.
So these persons and groups can keep rolling out their activities under the umbrella of the religion of Islam endlessly.
And the funny is, this great majority of all those good and religious Islam citizens, it seems, do not mind this to go on for ever at all?
Or do they secretly admire these guys?
Or are they terrified for these guys? But then again, the Quran (Allah) states that Muslims are not allowed to kill Muslims, so as long as you are a Muslim you do not have to be terrified.
DavidR says
I hope this is a commitment from Macro and not just a whim. It seems the French police even know what a fatwa is; in this case some Muslim essentially put out a call to “whack” the school teacher. The number of arrests even suggests that France may be going after the massive conspiracy of silence among nearly all Muslims that congeals when the kaffir are investigating a Muslim for killing one or more people outside the ummah.
Clarino says
Why is the press so squeamish about naming the imam and the parent who started all the trouble?
gravenimage says
France: ‘Anti-Islamophobia’ campaigner issued death fatwa against teacher who showed Muhammad cartoon
……………..
That headline kind of says it all, I think.
I’ve said before that pious Muslims consider anyone who opposes the murder of Infidels is an “Islamophobe”…
Keith O says
Yes! define “IRONIC”!