Elham Asaad Buaras

Three mosques operated by the Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) in France were targeted in a series of Islamophobic attacks, in the cities of Montlebon, Pontarlier and Roubaix.

Crucifixes and anti-Muslim graffiti were found in the mosques late on November 6. “We condemn the heinous attack on our mosques,” DITIB said in a statement.

The statement added that recovery efforts have already been launched to restore the mosques and that they will follow up with the case.

“We thank the security forces and the French authorities for their cooperation and the French people for their support. We call for unity against actions that will harm the peace of the country and the consciousness of living together, and we invite you to be prudent against such provocative events,” the statement also said.

Europe has experienced a significant increase in anti-Muslim hatred in recent years. Xenophobia and far-right extremism have fueled Islamophobia in Western countries.

France, home to the largest Muslim minority in Europe – estimated at 5 million or more out of a population of 67 million – has seen some of its highest officials stoke the flames of Islamophobia.

Critics denounced France President Emmanuel Macron for trying to galvanize far-right citizens to vote for him in the 2022 April presidential elections.

Macron’s anti-Muslim rhetoric has triggered a wave of anti-Muslim feelings among far-right groups.

The number of Islamophobic incidents in France rose sharply last year. According to the National Observatory of Islamophobia, there were 235 attacks on Muslims in France in 2020, up from 154 the previous year, a 53 per cent jump. Most of the attacks took place in the Greater Paris, Rhones-Alpes and Paca regions of the country. Attacks on mosques jumped 35 per cent in the same year.