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French President Emmanuel Macron's political party has announced that it wants to ban minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public.
It comes as his government held a security meeting on Wednesday to discuss the spread of 'political Islamism' in France.
The meeting, which included the head of government and key ministers, addressed a report which sounds the alarm about the Muslim Brotherhood and the rising influence of the Islamist movement - which it said poses 'a threat to national cohesion' in France.
After the meeting, the Elysee Palace said measures will be taken, 'some of which will be announced' while others will remain classified.
The report into the movement, which was founded in Egypt in 1928, was commissioned by the government and prepared by two senior civil servants.
It 'clearly establishes the anti-republican and subversive nature of the Muslim Brotherhood' and 'proposes ways to address this threat', said the Elysee Palace.
It comes as Macron's Renaissance party said it would forbid 'minors under 15 from wearing the veil in public spaces,' phrasing that generally means places outside the home like the street, cafes, parks and stores.
It added the hijab 'seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children'.
The party, led by former prime minister Gabriel Attal, also wants to introduce a 'criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil'.
Renaissance is a minority force in the French parliament and works in a minority government alongside a traditional right-wing party.
During her unsuccessful 2022 presidential campaign, Le Pen had evoked banning the wearing of the hijab by everyone in all public spaces in France.
Under current French legislation, civil servants, teachers and pupils cannot wear any obvious religious symbols such as a Christian cross, Jewish kippa, Sikh turban or Muslim hijab in government buildings, which includes public schools.
The government is also pushing for a new law to ban the headscarf in domestic sports competitions, a move critics of the law argue would be just the latest rule discriminating against visibly Muslim women.
Responding to the news and the new government report, critics have condemned what they call the rise of Islamophobia in France.
'Islamophobia has crossed a line,' hard-left firebrand Jean-Luc Melenchon said on X.
He accused the Defence Council meeting chaired by Macron of endorsing 'the delusional theories' of Le Pen and France's hardline Interior Minister, Bruno Retailleau
France's authorities are eager to prevent any spread of extremist Islamist ideas in a country that has been rocked by a string of deadly jihadist attacks.
Religious radicalisation has become a hot-button issue as the far-right is becoming increasingly popular in France, with the new government report sparking heated reactions.
Le Pen accused the government of inaction, saying on X that she has long proposed measures to 'eradicate Islamist fundamentalism'.
Bardella meanwhile said on France Inter radio: 'If we come to power tomorrow, we will ban the Muslim Brotherhood.'
The report, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, pointed to the spread of Islamism 'from the bottom up', adding the phenomenon constituted 'a threat in the short to medium term'.
At the same time, the presidency stressed, 'we are all perfectly aligned in saying that we must not lump all Muslims together'.
'We are fighting against Islamism and its radical excesses.'
The report zeroed in on the role of Muslims of France (Musulmans de France), which it identified as 'the national branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in France.'
The Federation of Muslims of France denounced 'unfounded accusations' and warned against 'dangerous' conflation between Islam and radicalism.
'We firmly reject any allegation that attempts to associate us with a foreign political project or an 'entryism' strategy,' it said.
'Even unintentional conflations between Islam, political Islamism and radicalism are not only dangerous but counterproductive for the Republic itself,' said Muslims of France, warning against 'a stigmatisation of Islam and Muslims.'
The 'constant accusation shapes minds, fuels fears and, sadly, contributes to violent acts,' it added, pointing to the death of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old Malian who was stabbed dozens of times while praying in a mosque in southern France.
Conservative daily Le Figaro, which first published excerpts of the 'shocking' report on Tuesday, said the Muslim Brotherhood 'wants to introduce Sharia law in France'.
The report said however that 'no recent document demonstrates the desire of Muslims in France to establish an Islamic state in France or to enforce Sharia law there'.
But the threat was real, the authors said.
'We are not dealing with aggressive separatism' but a 'subtle... yet no less subversive aim for the institutions.'
Macron's party proposed banning minors under 15 from wearing the Muslim headscarf in public spaces, saying the hijab 'seriously undermines gender equality and the protection of children'.
The party also wants to introduce a 'criminal offence for coercion against parents who force their underage daughters to wear the veil'.
In 2023, France banned pupils in public schools from wearing the abaya, a loose-fitting garment worn by Muslim women.
France and Germany have the biggest Muslim populations among European Union countries.
