Shafaqna English–The year 2025 was one of the most difficult for Muslims in France, according to the Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris.
Chems-Eddine Hafiz described the past year as one of those that “carve themselves into bodies and minds,” due to the scale of challenges faced by the Muslim community in France—challenges that reached the level of elimination based on religion.
He cited several assassinations in which Muslims lost their lives, while at the same time criticizing the silence of the French authorities in the face of such acts and practices.
In a post published on the official account of the Grand Mosque of Paris earlier this week, Chems-Eddine Hafiz wrote: “There are years that pass without leaving a trace. And there are other years that are etched into bodies and minds—not by their noise, but by what they demand deep within us. The past year was one of those for Muslims in France: a heavy year, filled with challenges…”
The Rector recalled the brutal murder of a young Muslim who was killed while praying in a French mosque, a crime driven by racist motives, amid what he described as an unjustified abandonment by the former right-wing Minister of the Interior, Bruno Retailleau, who did not even bother to visit the victim’s family or the crime scene (the mosque). This sparked widespread anger within the Muslim community, reflected in the family’s refusal to receive Retailleau, who only attempted a visit two days after the crime.
Chems-Eddine Hafiz noted that Muslims in France are subjected to such treatment on religious and racial grounds, citing the same incident: “He was killed because he was Muslim. His death was met with swift silence, as if some lives can be erased faster than others. That silence was deeply impactful, leaving a mark that goes far beyond the grief of his loved ones.”
He added that the same year saw other killings based on racial and religious motives, such as the case of a Tunisian migrant shot dead by French police.
He also pointed to the growing phenomenon of Islamophobia in France, which has reached unprecedented levels, warning: “In addition to these tragedies, there is a deeply rooted climate of Islamophobia—rarely loud, but profoundly entrenched.”
He explained that this results in “daily exhaustion” for the Muslim community, made up of suspicion, stares, and distancing that has become commonplace, as well as moral fatigue felt by many without always being able to express it, as it has become disturbingly normalized.
Source: IQNA