In France, Muslims are Second-Class Citizens, the State is Failing Them
The dean of the Paris Mosque, Chems-Eddine Hafiz, accused French political and media circles of covering up the hostile and racist acts perpetrated against the Muslim community in France.
He called on the French authorities to assume full responsibility for the situation, moving from feelings of condolence to offering serious and concrete proposals to contain this widespread phenomenon in France.
Chams-Eddine Hafiz published a series of posts on his X account, criticising the French state’s failure to protect Muslims and their places of worship, unlike the individuals and places of worship of other religious communities, using an unusual tone for the dean of the Paris Mosque, who is known for his calm on such events.
The dean of the Paris Mosque cited video clips from talk shows on several French channels, where he had been a guest, following the brutal murder of a young Malian in his twenties, Aboubakar Cissé, in a French mosque last Friday morning. The clips included fiery statements and stances against the French authorities and against certain political and media figures known for their hostility toward the Muslim community, though without naming them.
Chams-eddine Hafiz criticised the incidents, saying, “Every time, acts of hatred and hostility against Muslims are concealed or covered up. Sometimes, their seriousness is downplayed. It has become clear that the policy of double standards is unquestionable. I say this calmly: when it comes to a Muslim, the discussion becomes about a suspect.”
The first man at the Paris Mosque continued, commenting on the situation of Muslims in France: “It can be said that the French Muslim citizen has become a second-class citizen. I say this and I emphasise it. This may be strong, but at the same time, for years, Islam and Muslims in France have become a pretext or justification for everything that happens on French soil.” He asserted: “The grief, pain, and anger of Muslims must not be ignored. Their concerns must be heard.”
Chams-eddine Hafiz, who has an extensive legal background as a lawyer, appeared forceful in his arguments, enabling him to dissect the situation of Muslims more accurately. He said that for years, they have become “a hot topic in election campaigns in France, and what happened in the last presidential elections is a prime example of this. Newspapers attribute everything to Muslims and attribute much of what happens to their mistakes. This is unfair. Was it necessary for us to be exposed to tragedies like the one that occurred recently, for us to rise to the level of others in dealing with us?”
The dean of the Paris Mosque noted: “We feel that the Muslim community is not treated like other French citizens when anti-Muslim acts occur, as happened last Ramadan when a mosque was set on fire, and there was no official response. Even last Friday morning, when I was invited by President Emmanuel Macron to attend the funeral of Pope Francis, we did not feel that a crime had taken place in a mosque, claiming the life of a young Muslim man, despite the video of the crime being circulated on social media. This leads to the belief, rightly or wrongly, that members of the Muslim community are second-class citizens.”
Chams-eddine Hafiz explained that he personally faces discrimination in France, compared to other French people of non-French origin: “They say I’m more Algerian than French. Have you ever heard anyone say that Eric Ciotti (former leader of the Republicans party) is Italian, or Christian Estrosi (a local representative of the far-right) is Italian? The social fabric of France has been destroyed.”
