Commission urged to investigate France over treatment of Muslims

A global coalition of 25 civil society organisations and NGOs from 11 countries have submitted a letter to the President of the European Commission urging immediate action against France for its “statesponsored Islamophobia,” and for imposing the “discriminatory and human rights-violating Imam’s Charter.”

The complaint said that France has implemented numerous laws designed to limit freedom of belief and punish the manifestation of religion.

It also

said

that

President

Macron’s Imam’s Charter violates the religious, political and civil rights of France’s Muslim citizens because it infers that any politically active Muslim is a possible danger to society, thereby censoring the natural concerns of Muslims living in a globalised world.

Over the past few months, France has closed down the nation’s biggest anti-Islamophobia organisation as well as the country’s biggest Muslim charity. Paris has done this, it said, to fight extremism after a number of deadly “Islamist” attacks on its soil.

A few months ago state-approved French Muslim leaders signed a charter denouncing accusations of racism against France, and pledged to recognise “equality between men and women” and to combat “political Islam.”

The complaint letter to Ursula von der Leyen said: “Governmental leaders and politicians negatively and strongly influence public opinion. In France, this trend has led to Muslim communities becoming targets of increased hostility, more Islamophobia and increasing violence.