Unsigned Poster Urges Muslims to Boycott Eid al-Adha 2025 in Southern France, Sparking Community Backlash

Voices have been raised to denounce this notice. "We denounce this unsigned call that creates confusion among Muslims in Gard and Hérault by invoking fallacious reasons," declared Abdellah Zekri, the president of the Cultural Association of Muslims of the Peace Mosque in Nîmes, quoted by the local media Objectif Gard, inviting Muslims in the region not to follow this call coming from "self-proclaimed imams."

"Those who launched this boycott notice know nothing about the Muslim religion," added Zekri, reminding that Eid al-Adha is a festival that "commemorates Abraham’s sacrifice," imbued with "spirituality, sharing, and solidarity." "Eid is a religious festival in the Muslim world, let’s continue to celebrate it as we have in the past," he urged.

This year, the ritual of sacrifice for Eid al-Adha has not been banned in Gard and Hérault. In a statement published on Wednesday, May 14, the prefect of Hérault reminded "the complete rules on ritual animal slaughter," notably the ban on clandestine slaughter and the prohibition, from May 8 to June 8, of transporting sheep and goats, except for movements between declared breeders or to an approved slaughterhouse.