Karim Benzema, born in France to a family of Algerian origin, has always been questioned about his French patriotism, either because of his allergy to singing La Marseillaise or because of a certain contempt for the national team. But the matter has become much more serious because the same French Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin – from the most right-wing sector of Macronism – has accused him of having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood, the large Islamist organization founded in 1928 and a of whose ramifications is the Hamas movement, in power in Gaza.
"Everyone knows that Mr. Benzema has a notorious link with the Muslim Brotherhood," said Darmanin on Monday during an interview with the CNews channel, a medium that gives a lot of exposure to conservative and even extreme right-wing ideas. Darmanin's reaction took place after some controversy caused by Benzema when he expressed solidarity with the Palestinians, but not with the family of the teacher killed on Friday in a school in Arras, northern France.
Far from extinguishing the controversy, those around the minister added more fuel to the fire when they stated that, "for several years, we have seen a slow drift of Karim Benzema's positions towards hard Islam , rigorous, characteristic of the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, consisting of spreading Islamic norms in various areas of society, especially in sport". These words show that the ministry has closely followed the footballer's ideological trajectory.
The source, quoted by Le Figaro, mentioned the striker's refusal to sing La Marseillaise at the national team's matches, as well as the proselytizing of the Muslim cult that he does on social networks, prayers, the pilgrimage to Mecca and the photo with an imam who was investigated in the case of the teacher killed three years ago by a jihadist, Samuel Paty. According to the source close to the minister, Benzema's behavior does not imply a criminal prosecution, although it does show a significant irresponsibility due to the fact that he comes from such an important public figure.
The Senator of The Republicans (LR, right) Valérie Boyer, who represents the department of the Boques del Rhone (Marseille) in the Upper Chamber, declared yesterday that, if the player's militancy in the Islamist organization is substantiated, it would have of being stripped of French nationality, which, as of now, would be unconstitutional. "We need to act urgently against those who permanently threaten our country", added Boyer.
Benzema, 35 years old and born in a suburb of Lyon, played 14 years at Real Madrid and was the captain during the last stage in the white team. In October 2022, he won the Ballon d'Or and, after receiving the prestigious award, he uttered an enigmatic phrase about the trophy. "It is individual, but also collective - he said -. For me, it's the town's Ballon d'Or." In June, the forward – who has never been shown a red card and whose sportsmanship is usually impeccable – signed for Saudi outfit Al-Ittihad.
Benzema was removed from the national team for a few years due to an accusation of complicity in a murky blackmail - by means of a video of sexual content - against another teammate of the national team, a case for which he was sentenced to a prison term which did not involve the effective income and a fine. The player clashed for a while with the coach, Didier Deschamps, whom he accused of marginalizing him to satisfy the racist drive of French society.
The career in the national team ended badly, before the World Cup in Qatar, when he was injured in training and was immediately removed, without waiting to see if he recovered. Benzema immediately left for Madrid and, shortly after, said goodbye to the national team forever.
Benzema is not the only elite footballer who has been in trouble when tempers have flared due to the outbreak of the new war between Israel and Hamas. The Algerian defender Youcef Atal, from Nice, was suspended by the club in response to a violent anti-Semitic message that the player had posted on Instagram and which the Prosecutor's Office is investigating as an alleged apologia for terrorism.
Attack psychosis is not abating in France. Bomb threat alerts led to the evacuation of at least ten airports yesterday, including Nice, Toulouse, Bordeaux and Nantes, as well as the Palace of Versailles, the latter for the third time in recent years days
