Rights Groups in France Raise Concerns Over Increased Monitoring of Muslim Communities

Media and human rights organizations in France have raised concerns about what they describe as a growing trend of monitoring and categorizing Muslims, prompting anxiety among Arab communities, particularly those of Moroccan origin. Observers warn that recent developments point to a revival of collective classification based on religious or cultural identity.

According to widely circulated media reports, a digital platform has published publicly accessible data identifying around 3,000 mosques and nearly 1,500 neighborhoods with Muslim-majority populations. Rights advocates criticized the move, arguing that it poses serious legal risks and may amount to discriminatory profiling rooted in religion or ethnic background.

Members of Arab communities told media outlets that such practices are increasingly affecting their daily lives, reinforcing feelings of being targeted and heightening insecurity. These testimonies come amid a broader rise in exclusionary and stigmatizing rhetoric, which critics say contributes to an atmosphere of mistrust between minority communities and wider society.

Human rights groups warned that the continuation of these practices could fuel Islamophobia and undermine France’s foundational principles of equality and human rights. They called for judicial intervention to halt controversial monitoring efforts and ensure compliance with national laws and international conventions banning discrimination, as concerns grow over heightened scrutiny of Muslim communities across parts of Europe.