There is a debate in France about the explosion of anti-Semitism in the wake of the bloody war that Israel has been waging on Gaza since October 7.
During his passing on Tuesday at the RMC, the imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris assessed that it is necessary to report concrete cases of anti-Semitic acts to conclude that there is an explosion of this phenomenon.
The statements sparked a reaction from Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin, who denounced the “shocking insinuations.” The controversy arose after the departure of Darmanin and the Grand Mosque of Paris, which emerged from the words of its imam.
“Where are these 1,200 anti-Semitic acts found in France,” Imam Abdel Ali Mamoun asked himself on RMC, believing that concrete cases should be presented, such as attacking synagogues, desecrating cemeteries or attacking individuals in the street because of their Jewish affiliation. Faith.
“We’ve got these numbers but they don’t tell us what’s out there,” he insisted.
Imam Mamoun’s statements initially provoked a reaction from French-Israeli MP Mayer Habib, a major defender of Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right government, who considered them “disturbing and disturbing.”
Then it was the turn of the Grand Mosque of Paris to clearly distance itself from what Abdel Ali Mamoun said.
In a press release published at midday, university president Chams al-Din Hafez noted that the Grand Mosque in Paris “is sparking controversy with the comments made by Mr. Abdel Ali Mamoun.”
Hafez added that he spoke with the imam, who expressed his “regret that he was confused” when he “did not intend to question the alarming figures related to anti-Semitic acts in France.”
While specifying that Mr. Mamoun is not the official spokesman for the Grand Mosque of Paris, Chamseddine Hafez clears up any ambiguity by pointing out that his institution “does not downplay” and “does not attribute all anti-Semitic acts that have occurred in France.” In recent weeks. The Sheikh of the Grand Mosque in Paris also expressed his “full confidence” in the Interior Ministry’s figures related to the issue.
Anti-Semitism in France: Darmanin explains his numbers in detail
A position welcomed by Gérard Darmanin. “I thank the Grand Mosque of Paris for the clarifications it provided and for its opposition to downplaying anti-Semitic acts affecting France,” the minister wrote on the X website.
Gerald Darmanin said that he “completely” denounces the “shocking insinuations” made this morning by a “guest of the RMC”, without quoting Imam Mamoun.
In response, Gérald Darmanin published detailed figures on anti-Semitism in France, without mentioning specific cases, at the request of the imam of the Grand Mosque in Paris.
According to him, there have been 564 anti-Christian acts and 131 anti-Muslim acts in France since the beginning of 1762.
Speaking about anti-Semitic acts, Gérald Darmanin determined that they consist of 50% signs, posters or banners (death to the Jews, swastikas, etc.), 22% threats and insults, 10% apologies for terrorism, and 8% attacks On the property. 6% suspicious behavior, 2% assault and battery, and 2% attacks on community places.
In terms of geographical distribution, Paris is the most affected region with 11% of cases, followed by Rhone and Hauts-de-Seine (5%), then Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-Maritimes, and Seine-Saint-Denis (4%). The Minister of Interior also announced that there were 8,952 reports of advocacy of hatred via the Internet.
He concluded his speech by saying: “I call on everyone to file a complaint if they are aware of or have been a victim of an act contrary to religion.”
The French Central Council also condemned the interrogation of the imam of the Paris mosque, and said it was “outraged” by the “scandalous” comments he made on the RMC channel.
The council accuses the imam of having become a “spokesman for conspiracy theories, noting that counting anti-Semitic acts will not necessarily correspond to the truth of the facts.”
It also calls on the Interior Ministry to send “a complete and updated census of anti-Semitic acts” in France in order to “re-establish the truth of the facts.”
On the same topic:
Extremism in France: A warning cry from the sheikh of the Grand Mosque in Paris
