Paris — In a tense atmosphere, the French National Assembly on Thursday adopted a resolution calling for the launch of a procedure aimed at adding the Muslim Brotherhood to the European Union’s list of terrorist organizations. The measure was supported by the government camp and the National Rally (RN), despite opposition from the entire left.

After nearly five hours of heated debate, the text—placed on the Assembly’s agenda at the initiative of the Republicans (LR) during their designated parliamentary day—was adopted by 157 votes to 101.

The non-binding resolution calls on the European Commission to initiate a procedure to include “the Muslim Brotherhood movement and its leaders on the European list of terrorist organizations,” and urges the EU to carry out “a legal and factual assessment of the transnational network of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

The rapporteur of the text, MP Éric Pauget (LR), defended the resolution as targeting a “political movement” whose project, he said, seeks to “impose Sharia over the law of the Republic,” arguing that such a designation would allow for the freezing of financial resources and facilitate information-sharing among states.

Following the vote, the leader of the Republicans’ parliamentary group, Laurent Wauquiez, said the text would help move beyond a “state of denial,” calling on the government to relay the initiative at the European level.

For its part, the government adopted a cautious stance in the chamber, delivering what is known as an “opinion of wisdom” (neither for nor against). The Minister for Francophonie, Éléonore Caroit, acknowledged sharing the “objective” of acting “against the Muslim Brotherhood movement and its separatist ideology.”

Sébastien Chenu, Vice-President of the National Assembly from the National Rally, announced that the matter would be decided during a meeting of the Assembly’s Bureau on February 18.

It is worth noting that the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Sunni Islamist movement, was founded in Egypt in 1928. While it expanded its influence across the Arab world for a period, it has experienced a marked decline in recent years under pressure from major Arab powers.