26 October 2016, 12:34 GMT
MOSCOW (Sputnik) — "Under the cultural pretext, these places housed meetings that actually promoted a radical ideology, which was counter to the Republic’s values and could present a serious risk to security and public order," the Ministry said in a statement.
The closure was authorized by Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve under the law on a state of emergency, which allows shutting places of worship if they are used to incite hatred or violence.
France has been on high security alert since a string of gun and bomb attacks by Islamists killed 130 people in Paris in November 2015. The state of emergency was prolonged until the end of next January, following a truck attack in the city of Nice, which claimed 84 lives.
