Islamic organisations and mosques in France are urging Muslims to vote Alain Juppé in the primary to decide the conservative candidate in next year’s presidential election, according to a number of sources.

President of the Collective of Muslims in France (CMF) Nabil Ennasri, has called for Muslims to vote for Juppé, an anti-populist, in the centre-right primaries. Other Islamic organisations, and mosques, have been doing the same according to researcher and consultant on Islamic issues Romain Caillet, who writes for French newspaper Libération.

Caillet yesterday wrote on Twitter: “Apart from the call to vote Juppé [from Nabil Ennasri], several sources suggest there have been more discreet calls from Muslim organisations.”

Feïza Ben Mohamed, spokesman and secretary general of the Federation of Muslims in the South [of France], agreed, writing: “Of course. There were.” Caillet went on to disclose that Muslim Brotherhood-linked mosques used their Friday sermons to tell attendees they must vote for Juppé in the primaries.

Mohamed told the historian, who specialises in the global jihadist movement, that this is happening “even in the [non-Muslim Brotherhood mosques].” She added that in Nice, imams “will call for people to vote for [centre-right] Les Republicains” against Le Pen “as they have since time immemorial.”

Both former prime ministers of France, Juppé along with François Fillon, yesterday qualified through to the next round in the race to decide who will likely face off against Front National leader Marine Le Pen in the country’s presidential elections next year.

CMF head Ennasri, an associate of controversial Islamic preachers Tariq Ramadan and Yusuf al-Qaradawi, recently wrote a piece asserting that the centre-right primary is “critical.” In the article, he said Muslims need to “massively participate,” and calls for a “tactical vote” for Juppé as “the lesser of evils” to stand against Le Pen.

Breitbart London last month reported on #JeTeVoix (I See You), a campaign launched by a Muslim activist and various civil society groups which seeks to mobilise minority voters to eliminate “dangerous” candidates from the primaries. The aim of the campaign is to block candidates who promise to be tough on crime, uphold secularism, or reduce immigration and privileges for aliens.

Under the evaluation system on the website of #JeTeVoix, where users can vote for “sanctions” based on the candidates’ past statements or actions that affect minorities, Juppé is by far the most preferred candidate.

The presidential candidate opposes tough measures to restrict immigration and earlier this year said diversity enriches France. Juppé, who is the current mayor of Bordeaux, has consistently opposed France’s niqab ban, and is in favour of a federal Europe.