Harun Nasrullah
Two mosques were damaged in two southeast French cities in what is viewed as the latest Islamophobic attacks tied to the Government’s clampdown on mosques under the contentious “anti-separatism” law.
On December 28, mosques in La Mure and Domene in southeast France were vandalised. At the mosque of the Turkish Muslims in La Mure, the congregation discovered overturned dustbins, a damaged mailbox, a damaged door handle, and a small Turkish flag pennant that was partially burned.
There was also Islamophobic graffiti on the mosque’s wall reading, “Muslims are harmful“.
In a separate incident, a person believed to be drunk entered a mosque in Domene on the evening of December 27, damaged the place and scribbled on a tablecloth accusing the imam and the community of inciting terrorism.
The attacker managed to escape from the mosque. The security forces are investigating whether there is a connection between the two attacks.
Meanwhile, racist graffiti targeting Muslims was also written on the walls in the centre of Château-Gontier town in the Pays de la Loire region. One of them read “Islam out of Europe”.
On Twitter, French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin said that he supports the affected Muslims in La Mure and Château-Gontier, and that such heinous acts are against the Republic’s values.
In a statement, the Coordination Committee of Turkish Muslims in France, said that anti-Muslim, racist and xenophobic ideas have been on the rise in the country, especially recently, and Muslims have been exposed to direct attacks.
Pointing out that Muslims have witnessed an escalating hatred towards them with the closure of mosques, attacks on places of worship and Islamophobic graffiti, the statement called for the condemnation of these attacks and for bringing the perpetrators to justice.
