Amnesty International Condemns Rising Discrimination Against Muslims in France

Amnesty International (AI) has issued a statement to denounce the particularly hostile climate and discriminatory discourse towards Muslim people.

The international non-governmental organization (NGO) also condemned the Senate vote on the "bill aimed at excluding from school outings people who wear conspicuous religious symbols".

"AI unreservedly condemns this bill [because] if it were to come into force, such a ban would be contrary to international human rights law," the international NGO hammered. This law, it specifies, provides that everyone must be able to freely manifest their religion.

To correct the situation, Amnesty International has appealed to the French authorities.

They must ensure that "French authorities ensure that Muslim people are not presented as a suspect group by pointing to the practice of a religion, which is nevertheless protected by law, as a security risk," it demanded.

Indeed, concludes the NGO, this "discourse places the persons targeted with a feeling of suspicion and rejection. Above all, it encourages the rise of stigmatizing or discriminatory acts and violations of their fundamental rights".