Rising Islamophobia drives thousands of Muslims to leave France
Rising Islamophobia drives thousands of Muslims to leave France
A recent report by Jacobin magazine highlights a troubling rise in Islamophobia in France, prompting thousands of Muslims—many of them highly educated professionals—to emigrate in search of greater religious freedom and tolerance.
The report draws on findings from a new book titled “You Love France, But You Leave It”, by Olivier Esteve, Alice Picard, and Julien Talpin. The authors estimate that around 200,000 French Muslims have relocated to countries like the UK and Canada due to increasing hostility and systemic discrimination.
The migration is not driven by isolated incidents, the authors argue, but by a pervasive sense of alienation. Many Muslims report experiencing daily harassment, silent hostility, and institutional bias.
France’s Interior Ministry recorded 79 anti-Muslim hate crimes in the first quarter of 2025—a 70% increase from the same period last year. Incidents include the fatal stabbing of a Malian migrant inside a mosque and racist signage declaring “No Muslim Zone” in Orléans.
The report links many of these acts to far-right and neo-Nazi groups, warning of growing insecurity for Muslims. It also criticizes French political rhetoric and policies—such as bans on hijab and the dissolution of anti-Islamophobia organizations—as fueling this climate of exclusion.
