Muslim Leaders in France Condemn ’Hierarchy of Victims’ in Hamas-Israel Conflict

"The CFCM deplores that men and women from various backgrounds can defend, particularly in the media of our country, the hierarchy between civilian victims. Their arguments remind us of those already used in dark contexts in the history of humanity. This absurd idea, by which its promoters try to justify the crimes committed against civilians including children, is totally at odds with all the principles and values that form the basis of our republican pact, of which the equal dignity of men is a part," the institution said in a statement dated November 1, 2023.

The CFCM also deplores the remarks of a member of the Council of State who declared on Cnews that many "Muslims work on construction sites, have access to explosives, may have access to firearms" and that "if there was an order to kill Jews, there could be an attack every day." This "shocking" and "unjustifiable" statement by this member of the highest administrative court in France, who "wrongly accuses all honest Muslim workers of being potential terrorists," "exposes Muslims in France to hatred, and leads to tensions and divisions within our society," it criticizes.

The institution also questions the legitimacy of the ban on pro-Palestinian demonstrations by the Paris police prefecture, which previously "authorized demonstrations by far-right groups," arguing its "inability to prove the existence of a characterized risk of public order disturbances." These decisions "can exacerbate a sense of double standards and its consequences," warns the CFCM, also calling for an "immediate ceasefire to end the massacres of civilians and for dialogue for a just, equitable and lasting peace that involves the two-state solution living side by side in peace and security."