Islamophobia in France: Claimants of freedom of belief on trial for protesters.
The term “Islamophobia” was coined in France by the CCIF (Community Against Islamophobia in France), but the group was dissolved after being accused of “inciting discrimination, hatred, and violence.” The term is still used to describe anything that creates an unrealistic fear of Islam and Muslims.
A French member of the European Parliament has condemned “state Islamophobia” in the European country, protesting the increasing harassment of Muslim women in France.
To illustrate this situation, it is worth recalling that Rima Hassan, a representative of the “France Indépendant” party in the European Parliament, was tried for “public insult” to a government official for calling him “Islamophobic.” Her trial was held in Strasbourg on Wednesday, but Rima also protested “state Islamophobia” at the same hearing.
Citing the increase in cases of harassment of veiled women, she pointed to a case in the Grenoble region. In this case, a veiled woman who had gone to school to pick up her student child and was carrying her other child in a stroller was attacked by a man and hospitalized.
Many doubt the veracity of these statements, and the French media have also reacted cautiously to the accusation.
The French newspaper Le Figaro noted Rima Hassan’s support for the Palestinians and reported that the issue raised by the MP should also be taken into account in the context of the other problems in the Grenoble region, including social unrest and activities related to drug and arms trafficking.
The newspaper called the French MP’s statements “worrying” and added: “There is no evidence that a veiled woman was attacked because of her religious beliefs.”
The news comes at a time when the MP, like her party and its leader Jean-Luc Mélenchon, has faced accusations of being influenced by religious beliefs.