The number of Islamophobic incidents in France, home to Western Europe’s largest Muslim community, rose sharply last year amid controversy over the government’s stance toward the religious minority, the head of a monitoring group said Friday.
According to the head of the National Observatory of Islamophobia, Abdallah Zekri, there were 235 attacks on Muslims in France in 2020, up from 154 the previous year, a 53% jump. Most of the attacks took place in the Ile-de-France (greater Paris), Rhones-Alpes and Paca regions of the country, Zekri said in a statement, according to remarks carried by Anadolu Agency (AA). Attacks on mosques jumped 35% in the same year, Zekri added.
Stating that 70 threatening letters were sent to the headquarters of the French Council of Muslim Worship (CFCM) or its administrators last year, Zekri raised the alarm over the spread of lies about Islam and Muslims as well as emails that incite hatred against Muslims.
The scourge of far-right extremism, which has targeted Muslims in particular, has increased in Europe, and recent reports show that France suffers most from this atmosphere of hatred. Muslims in France are worried about the negative views some members of the French public have about Islam, Zekri said, adding that there are no links between Islam and terrorism, and Muslims in France should be able to practice their religion freely like members of other faiths.
The French government has been criticized for its actions and rhetoric regarding Islam and Muslims, including President Emmanuel Macron’s October claim that Islam is “in crisis,” raids on mosques and Islamic foundations, and a proposed “anti-separatism” law that would slap wide-ranging restrictions on the Muslim community.
Muslims in France – the former colonies of which include predominantly Muslim countries in North and West Africa as well as the Middle East – are about 6% of the population.
