Paris Mosque Rector Reveals Shocking Islamophobic Attack, Calls for Action Against Rising Anti-Muslim Violence

"I myself was the victim of an attack of unheard-of violence, by a couple, in a restaurant. With insults, death threats. I was paralyzed," recounts Chems-eddine Hafiz in an interview with Ouest-France. According to him, the official figures of anti-Muslim acts are below the reality. This information is corroborated by a report from the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH), unveiled last Wednesday. A "climate of Islamophobia" has been raging across Europe since October 7, 2023, noted the author of the book "Defying the Shadows: Islam, the Republic and the Demand for Truth," noting a French "exception." For him, the term Islamophobia must be used. Moreover, he reveals that he has written to the French President on this subject.

Last year, the Ministry of the Interior recorded 173 anti-Muslim acts in France and two murders were committed in April and May last, those of the Malian Aboubakar Cissé and the Tunisian Hichem Miraoui, recalled Hafiz, also noting that a terrorist group is pending trial for having tried to poison halal food. According to him, anti-Semitic acts have also exploded with 1570 cases in 2024. But the Jews, because anti-Semitism has been acting for a long time in French society, "have organized themselves to react," he stressed. This is not the case for Muslims who are "not prepared for it."

"The only way to condemn," is to report and file a complaint, proposes the rector. He adds: "We must raise awareness in our religious community to file a complaint, without hesitation and waiting, as soon as an anti-Muslim act is observed." He notes that today, "many victims give up going to the police station, wondering if their word will be well received or useful." He also proposes the creation of the Association for the Defense against Discrimination and Anti-Muslim Acts (Addam), with a reporting form available to victims.