A man holds a placard reading “Terrorist is not Muslim” as people take part in a silent walk to support freedom and peace and against barbarism, and misconceptions in Toulouse on November 21, 2015, following Paris’ November 13 terror attacks. More than 10,000 people marched today in the French city of Toulouse for peace and against “barbarity” a week after the devastating attacks in the capital left 130 people dead. The march took place largely in silence. AFP PHOTO / REMY GABALDA / AFP / REMY GABALDA

Post via Islamic Emirate

Following the recent attacks carried out in Paris – attributed by the Parisian Police as the work of a few individuals and subsequently claimed by Daesh (ISIS) – France’s Muslims are faced with the harsh reality of reprisals against their community. Therefore they have asked the French authorities to clearly confine the responsibility of these attacks to those who have taken responsibility for it. These Muslims living in France fear that as a result of these attacks, the French authorities would adopt draconian policies against all Muslims. Accordingly the authorities will view all Muslims with suspicion and will be closely scrutinized by the French Intelligence.

Some have stated that during the previous Friday while Muslims were congregating to fulfill their Friday prayers, the French Police thoroughly searched each and every Muslim attending these prayers. According to these sources such actions betray the deep suspicion French authorities hold against all Muslims. According to a Muslim – named Soraya – who was interviewed by the French media, prior to these attacks, Islamic infrastructure were repeatedly vandalized, the Islamic veil was legally proscribed and Muslims in general were stripped of all religious and political rights. But following these attacks, Soraya feared that the French will adopt even stricter policies against Muslims across the country and ordinary vigilantes might use these attacks as a pretext to vent their anger against Muslim individuals and Islamic institutions.

France’s Muslim population:

Due to France’s historical ties with the Islamic world, France hosts the largest Muslim population in the West. According to statistics Islam is the second largest religion in France after Roman Catholicism. In other words, Muslim make up a larger portion of the population than Jews and Protestants. According to official statistics Protestants number one million; Buddhists number 600,000; Jews number 525,000; and Orthodox number 15,000 in France. Muslims, numbering 6 million form a larger segment of the population than all the other smaller groups combined. The majority of Muslims live in Paris, Marseille, and Lyon.

Of the Muslim population approximately 35% are of Algerian descent; 25% are of Moroccan descent; and 10% are of Tunisian descent. Only about 20,000 Muslims are French by descent.

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Carol Anne Grayson is an independent writer/researcher on global health/human rights/WOT and is Executive Producer of the Oscar nominated, Incident in New Baghdad.  She is a Registered Mental Nurse with a Masters in Gender Culture and Development. Carol was awarded the ESRC, Michael Young Prize for Research 2009, and the COTT ‘Action = Life’ Human Rights Award’ for “upholding truth and justice”. She is also a survivor of US “collateral damage”.