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Al Jazeera
05-07-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
State-sponsored Islamophobia in France encourages violence
On June 27, El Hidaya Mosque in Roussillon in Southern France was attacked and vandalised. Windows were smashed and furniture overturned; the walls were plastered with racist flyers. Earlier the same month, a burned Quran was placed at the entrance of a mosque in Villeurbanne of Lyon. Unfortunately, virulent Islamophobia in France has not stopped at vandalism. On May 31, Hichem Miraoui, a Tunisian national, was shot dead by his French neighbour in a village near the French Riviera; another Muslim man was also shot but survived. A month earlier, Aboubakar Cisse, a Malian national, was stabbed to death in a mosque in the town of La Grand-Combeby by a French citizen. There has been a significant spike in Islamophobic acts in France – something the French authorities remain reluctant to publicly comment on. One report showed a 72 percent increase in such incidents between January and March 2025 compared with the same period in 2024. There are various factors that have contributed to this, but central among them is the French state's own Islamophobic rhetoric and anti-Muslim policies. The most recent iteration of this was the release of a report titled 'The Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islamism in France' by the French government. The document claims that the Muslim Brotherhood and 'political Islamism' are infiltrating French institutions and threatening social cohesion and names organisations and mosques as having links to the group. The report came out just days before Miraoui was shot dead and two weeks after the French authorities raided the homes of several founding members of the Brussels-based Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) living in France. State-promoted Islamophobia With the rise of anti-Muslim attacks and discrimination in France, it is increasingly hard to believe that the obsession of the French state and government with what they call 'Islamist separatism' is not, in fact, inciting violence against the French Muslim population. The idea that French Muslims are somehow threatening the French state through their identity expression has been championed by the French far right for decades. But it was in the late 2010s that it entered the mainstream by being embraced by centrist politicians and the media. In 2018, French President Emmanuel Macron, who also embraced the term 'separatism', called for the creation of a 'French Islam', a euphemism for domesticating and controlling Muslim institutions to serve the interest of the French state. At the heart of this project stood the idea of preserving 'social cohesion', which effectively meant suppressing dissent. In the following years, the French state started acting on its obsession with controlling Muslims with more and tougher policies. Between 2018 and 2020, it shut down 672 Muslim-run entities, including schools and mosques. In November 2020, the French authorities forced the Collective Against Islamophobia in France (CCIF), a nonprofit organisation documenting Islamophobia, to dissolve; the organisation then reconstituted in Brussels. In December of that year, they targeted 76 mosques, accusing them of 'Islamist separatism' and threatening them with closure. In 2021, the French Parliament passed the so-called anti-separatism law, which included a variety of measures to supposedly combat 'Islamist separatism'. Among them was an extension of the ban on religious symbols in the public sector, restrictions on home schooling and sports associations, new rules for organisations receiving state subsidies, more policing of places of worship, etc. By January 2022, the French government reported that it had inspected more than 24,000 Muslim organisations and businesses, shut down more than 700 and seized 46 million euros ($54m) in assets. The Muslim Brotherhood boogeyman The report released in May, like many official statements and initiatives, was not aimed to clarify policy or ensure legal precision. It was supposed to politicise Muslim identity, delegitimise political dissent and facilitate a new wave of state attacks on the Muslim civil society. The report names various Muslim organisations, accusing them of having links to the Muslim Brotherhood. It also argues that campaigning against Islamophobia is a tool of the organisation. According to the report, the Muslim Brotherhood uses anti-Islamophobia activism to discredit secular policies and portray the state as racist. This framing is aimed to invalidate legitimate critiques of discriminatory laws and practices, and frames any public recognition of anti-Muslim racism as a covert Islamist agenda. The implication is clear: Muslim visibility and dissent are not just suspect — they are dangerous. The report also dives into the Islamo-gauchisme or Islamo-leftism conspiracy theories – the idea that 'Islamists' and leftists have a strategic alliance. It claims that decolonial movement is challenneling Islamism and references the March Against Islamophobia of November 10, 2019, a mass mobilisation that drew participants from across the political spectrum, including the left. The report that was commissioned under the hardline former Interior Minister and now Justice Minister Gerald Darmanin, who back in 2021 accused far-right leader Marine Le Pen of being 'too soft' on Islam. All of this – the report, the legislation, the police raids and rhetorical attacks against the French Muslim community – follows the long French colonial tradition of seeking to rule over and control Muslim populations. The French political centre has had to embrace Islamophobia to contain its falling popularity. It may help with narrow electoral victories over the rising far right, but those will be short-lived. The more lasting impact will be a sigmatised, alienated Muslim community which will increasingly face state-incited violence and hatred. The views expressed in this article are the author's own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeera's editorial stance.
Straits Times
02-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
French anti-terror prosecutor investigates killing of Tunisian national
PARIS - The French anti-terrorism prosecutor's office has opened an investigation into whether the killing of a Tunisian national in southern France was a racially motivated crime "related to a terrorist undertaking". The Tunisian man, who has not been officially identified but is thought be around 35, was shot dead by a neighbour late on Saturday in the town of Puget-sur-Argens, the local prosecutor said. A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand and taken to hospital after the incident. The anti-terrorism prosecutor's office told Reuters on Monday that it was investigating charges of racially motivated assassination and attempted assassination related to a terrorist undertaking, as well as charges of involvement in a terrorist criminal group planning one or several violent crimes. The prosecutor for the southern commune of Draguignan said on Sunday that the suspect was a 53-year-old man who practises shooting as a sport and who published what it said was hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after Saturday's killing. The killing follows the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe last month amid what official figures suggest is rising racism in France. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau condemned Saturday's shooting, saying on x that "racism must be severely punished." Political opponents have said his stances on immigration and Islam have contributed to rising levels of hate crime. French police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes last year, according to official data published in March. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up about 10% of the country's population. Some French politicians, including President Emmanuel Macron, have criticised what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. REUTERS Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Local France
02-06-2025
- Local France
France probes terror motive after man shoots dead Tunisian neighbour
The shooting late Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in the Var region comes after a Malian man was stabbed to death in April in a mosque, also in southern France, as concern grows over hate crimes against Muslims. The shooting was initially investigated by regional prosecutors as a suspected murder motivated by the victim's ethnicity or religion. But French national anti-terror prosecutors ( Parquet national antiterroriste , PNAT) announced Monday that they would be taking over the investigation. The suspected killer, a 53-year-old who is French, fled the scene in a car but was arrested not far away after his partner alerted police. He posted videos with racist content before and after the shooting late on Saturday, according to regional prosecutor Pierre Couttenier. The Tunisian man killed, believed to be 35 years old, was shot five times. The Turkish citizen, 25, was wounded in the hand and hospitalised, the prosecutor said. Advertisement A sports shooting enthusiast, the suspect "posted two videos on his social media account containing racist and hateful content before and after his attack," he added. The PNAT prosecutors said Monday that they had opened an investigation into a "terrorist plot" motivated by the race or religion of the victims. "The racist nature of this double crime is beyond doubt, given the hateful remarks made by the killer," said SOS Racisme, an anti-discrimination NGO. "This tragedy echoes a series of racist crimes that have occurred in recent months," it said, denouncing a "poisonous climate" in the country including the "trivialisation of racist rhetoric". Aboubakar Cisse of Mali was stabbed dozens of times while attending prayers at the mosque in the southern French town of La Grand-Combe on April 25th. A French national of Bosnian origin accused of carrying out the attack surrendered to Italian authorities after three days on the run. Italy then extradited him to France to face justice. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau was bitterly criticised for never travelling to the scene of that crime to show solidarity, while PNAT anti-terror prosecutors also came under fire for not taking over the case and instead leaving it to regular criminal prosecutors.
The Advertiser
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Advertiser
Tunisian national shot dead by neighbour in France
A Tunisian national has been shot dead by his neighbour in southern France, a prosecutor says, adding the incident is being investigated as a racially-motivated crime. The victim, who was said to be "possibly 35", but has not been officially identified, was killed in the town of Puget-sur-Argens on Saturday night A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand by the man and taken to hospital. The shooting comes one month after the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern town of La Grand-Combe, amid rising racism in France. Last year French police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes, according to official data published in March. In a statement, the prosecutor said the suspect was a 53-year-old who practises sports shooting. He had published hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after killing his neighbour, the prosecutor added. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than six million and making up about 10 per cent of its population. Politicians across the political spectrum, including President Emmanuel Macron, have attacked what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. A Tunisian national has been shot dead by his neighbour in southern France, a prosecutor says, adding the incident is being investigated as a racially-motivated crime. The victim, who was said to be "possibly 35", but has not been officially identified, was killed in the town of Puget-sur-Argens on Saturday night A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand by the man and taken to hospital. The shooting comes one month after the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern town of La Grand-Combe, amid rising racism in France. Last year French police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes, according to official data published in March. In a statement, the prosecutor said the suspect was a 53-year-old who practises sports shooting. He had published hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after killing his neighbour, the prosecutor added. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than six million and making up about 10 per cent of its population. Politicians across the political spectrum, including President Emmanuel Macron, have attacked what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. A Tunisian national has been shot dead by his neighbour in southern France, a prosecutor says, adding the incident is being investigated as a racially-motivated crime. The victim, who was said to be "possibly 35", but has not been officially identified, was killed in the town of Puget-sur-Argens on Saturday night A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand by the man and taken to hospital. The shooting comes one month after the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern town of La Grand-Combe, amid rising racism in France. Last year French police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes, according to official data published in March. In a statement, the prosecutor said the suspect was a 53-year-old who practises sports shooting. He had published hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after killing his neighbour, the prosecutor added. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than six million and making up about 10 per cent of its population. Politicians across the political spectrum, including President Emmanuel Macron, have attacked what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination. A Tunisian national has been shot dead by his neighbour in southern France, a prosecutor says, adding the incident is being investigated as a racially-motivated crime. The victim, who was said to be "possibly 35", but has not been officially identified, was killed in the town of Puget-sur-Argens on Saturday night A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand by the man and taken to hospital. The shooting comes one month after the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern town of La Grand-Combe, amid rising racism in France. Last year French police recorded an 11 per cent rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes, according to official data published in March. In a statement, the prosecutor said the suspect was a 53-year-old who practises sports shooting. He had published hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after killing his neighbour, the prosecutor added. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than six million and making up about 10 per cent of its population. Politicians across the political spectrum, including President Emmanuel Macron, have attacked what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination.
The Sun
02-06-2025
- Politics
- The Sun
Tunisian national shot dead by neighbour in the south of France
PARIS: A Tunisian national was shot dead by his neighbour in the south of France, the prosecutor in the Draguignan commune said in a statement, adding that the incident was being investigated as a racially motivated crime. The victim, who was said to be 'possibly 35' but has not been officially identified, was killed late on Saturday in the town of Puget-sur-Argens. A 25-year-old Turkish national was also shot in the hand by the man and taken to hospital. The incident comes one month after the fatal stabbing of Aboubakar Cisse, a 22-year-old man from Mali, in a mosque in the southern town of La Grand-Combe, amid rising racism in France. France's interior minister Bruno Retailleau, in a post on X on Monday, said that 'racism must be severely punished' and that the shooting was 'intolerable.' Retailleau's critics said that his declarations on migration and Islam had contributed towards rising levels of hate crime. Last year, French police recorded an 11% rise in racist, xenophobic or anti-religious crimes, according to official data published in March. In a statement late on Sunday, the prosecutor said the suspect in the weekend shooting was a 53-year-old who practises sports shooting. He had published hateful and racist content on his social media account before and after killing his neighbour, the prosecutor added. France has the largest Muslim population in Europe, numbering more than 6 million and making up about 10% of the country's population. Politicians across the political spectrum, including President Emmanuel Macron, have attacked what they describe as Islamist separatism in a way that rights groups have said stigmatises Muslims and amounts to discrimination.
