Justice suspends the order closing the Muslim college in Nice

On March 14, the prefect of Alpes-Maritimes signed an order ordering the closure of the college at the end of the school year. He challenged the way the establishment justifies its financial funds.

On Friday April 19, the Nice administrative court suspended the prefectural order closing the Avicenne Muslim college. He considers that the errors noted in the establishment’s accounting do not justify such a definitive measure. “It is a decision of appeasement which reassures the students and parents of the Avicenne college about the future of this establishment which works and which has healthy accounts”, reacted for AFP the lawyer of the college, Sefen Guez Guez.

“This interim order does not constitute the judgment on the merits and this judgment is therefore not final. I maintain that the financing of this establishment is essentially opaque”reacted the prefect of the Alpes-Maritimes Hugues Moutouh on X.

This is not the first time that Hugues Moutouh has come up against the administrative court of Nice, which has already suspended in series its orders banning pro-Palestinian demonstrations as well as an order closing a Muslim bookstore.

Financial grievances

The decision to close Avicenne, a private college outside of a contract opened in 2015 and welcoming around a hundred students, was announced on February 26 by the Minister of National Education Nicole Belloubet. Without calling into question the quality of the education provided, the grievances are financial: while the law against separatism requires establishments outside of the contract to inform the administration of the origin of their funding, Avicenna fumbled to respond to requests. Thus, the parents of students and donors, even if they are all residents in France, are only identified by their last name. On March 14, Hugues Moutouh then signed an order ordering the closure of the college at the end of the school year.

During the hearing Tuesday before the administrative court, in the presence of dozens of students and parents, Sefen Guez Guez admitted “errors” in accounting but felt that a dialogue with the prefecture would have made it possible to resolve the gray areas. “If the tables and documents provided (…) contain errors and inaccuracies, the irregularities noted are not (…) such as to justify the definitive closure of the establishment”concluded the court, ruling in collegial formation.