Even more concerning is the threefold increase in assaults targeting Muslim individuals, rising from 32 to 99 cases—a staggering 209% spike. These attacks now make up more than two-thirds of all Islamophobic incidents recorded nationwide.
The tense climate has been exacerbated by tragic events, including the April murder of Aboubacar, a young Malian, inside a mosque in southern France. The incident sparked a wave of public outrage and civic mobilization.
France, where Muslims make up roughly 9% of the population, is also home to Europe’s largest Jewish community—estimated at around 500,000 people.
The rise in Islamophobic incidents comes against a backdrop of political tension. A report by the American magazine Jacobin, published in June, holds French authorities partly responsible for normalizing anti-Muslim rhetoric. The report draws on the book France, tu l’aimes mais tu la quittes (“France, Love It or Leave It”), co-authored by Olivier Esteve, Alice Picard, and Julien Talpin, which examines the growing rejection of Muslims in French society.
The report also denounces the dissolution of several organizations fighting Islamophobia under President Emmanuel Macron’s administration, as well as the enactment of laws targeting Muslim communities under the guise of combating “separatist Islamism”.
In May, thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of Paris to protest the rise of Islamophobia, the repression of activist organizations, and the stigmatization of Muslims in certain media outlets.
Source: Tunisie Numerique
