French PM Bayrou Urges Recognition of Islamophobia After Mosque Attack

Following the April 25 attack at the Grand-Combe mosque, French Prime Minister François Bayrou criticized the political reluctance to use the term “Islamophobia,” stating: “We cannot fight what we refuse to name,” YaBiladi reported.

In a Journal du Dimanche (JDD) interview, Bayrou endorsed the label—previously dismissed by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau—arguing it was essential to “call things what they are.”

Bayrou cited the murder of Aboubakar Cissé, a 22-year-old stabbed 57 times by an assailant who filmed the attack while shouting anti-Islamic slurs: “If this isn’t hatred of Islam, what is?” He also condemned hatred targeting Muslims, Jews, and Christians, noting crimes against all three groups.

Retailleau countered in La Tribune, claiming “Islamophobia” carries “ideological connotations tied to the Muslim Brotherhood.” Meanwhile, French Muslim leaders, including Paris Grand Mosque rector Chems-eddine Hafiz, criticized “unequal treatment” after Cissé’s killing was not classified as a terrorist attack.