Several attacks on French mosques following Wednesdays brutal Charlie Hebdo shooting have added to the fear of retaliation against the countrys Muslim population. At least 12 people were shot and killed and more than a dozen others wounded in what is being called a terror attack against the French satirical newspaper on Wednesday. The publication faced threats prior to the shooting and was firebombed in 2011 for publishing cartoons depicting the Prophet Muhammad. Two Muslim places of worship and a restaurant affiliated to another mosque were attacked Wednesday evening and Thursday morning local time. Three grenades were thrown at a mosque in Le Mans, west of Paris, and a bullet hole was found in one of the mosques windows, AFP reported. A Muslim prayer hall in the Port-la-Nouvelle district in southern France also received shots shortly after evening prayers, while a blast erupted at L’Imperial, a restaurant affiliated to a mosque in the French village of Villefranche-sur-Saone. No casualties were reported at any of the attacks. Revenge attacks on Muslim spaces begin in France after #CharlieHebdo massacre t.co/50anhW9BEk pic.twitter/uKL5El7V2B— Daily Mail Online (@MailOnline) January 8, 2015 I am afraid that is linked to the dramatic event that occurred on Wednesday, Villefranche mayor Perrut Bernard told Le Progress on Thursday, referring to the attack on Charlie Hebdo. Several prominent voices, ranging from Wallerand de Saint-Just of Frances far-right National Front party to American atheist Richard Dawkins, took the opportunity to blame Islam in its entirety for promoting violence. With such rhetoric circling, Peter Neumann, director of the International Center for the Study of Radicalization at King’s College London, argued that Muslims will likely suffer most from backlash. Speaking to The New York Times, Neumann said: “Large parts of the European public are latently anti-Muslim, and increasing mobilization of these forces is now reaching into the center of society. If we see more of these incidents, and I think we will, we will see a further polarization of these European societies in the years to come.” Muslims around the world condemned Wednesdays attack, rejecting the extremists distortion of Islam for a violent agenda. Many urged the public not to conflate the religion with these isolated attacks, which will further fan the flames of antagonism. France, turning on your own Muslim citizens & blaming Islam for #CharlieHebdo feeds the extremists agenda. Dont help them.— Wajahat Ali (@WajahatAli) January 7, 2015 #Christian #Auctions
Posted on: Thu, 08 Jan 2015 17:33:42 +0000
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