The Imam at the top mosque in Paris has complained that Muslims have become “collateral victims” of the beheading of a French secondary school teacher by a radical Islamist refugee.
On the five year anniversary of the brutal killing of French teacher Samuel Paty the Imam of the Grand Mosque of Paris, Abdelali Mamoun, pronounced that Muslims in France are “fed up” with being blamed for the murder committed by a radical Islamist.
In comments reported by Le Journal du Dimanche, Mamoun claimed that Muslims have become “collateral victims of this tragedy,” arguing that in the wake of the attack, the French public found it necessary “to find the culprit, and the easiest culprit is the average Muslim.”
“Today, the entire Muslim community in France feels enormous frustration. They are deeply saddened by this discrimination of which they are accused, constantly ostracised, and singled out,” the Imam said.
“Muslims are fed up because they are the ones being targeted,” Mamoun continued, adding: “We are wholeheartedly with Samuel Paty, but we do not have to pay for the barbarity of others.”
“Returning evil with good, by paying tribute to this figure who was a victim of barbarism by naming places after him as many times as necessary, we completely agree… But returning evil with evil, by making the entire Muslim community a scapegoat, no.”
Paty was beheaded with a meat cleaver by 18-year-old Chechen refugee Abdoullakh Abouyezidovich Anzorov in 2020 after he showed his students a Charlie Hebdo cartoon depicting the Islamic prophet Muhammad during a class on freedom of expression.
Before being shot and killed by police, Anzorov posted messages on social media proclaiming: “In the name of Allah the most gracious, the most merciful… to Macron, leader of the infidels, I have executed one of your hell-hounds who dared to belittle Muhammad.”
In the wake of the barbaric attack, it was revealed that the Pantin mosque in Paris had shared a “Fatwa” video, which contained Paty’s personal details, including his address.
The Imam of the mosque, M’hammed Henniche, later apologised for sharing the video, which he claimed had been widely circulated within the local Islamic community. French authorities later claimed that the video was produced by a parent of one of Paty’s Muslim students.
In 2023, six teens were found guilty of being connected to the murder. Five of the defendants were convicted of pointing out Mr Paty to the would-be killer or having monitored when the 47-year-old teacher left the school. During the trial, they claimed they did not think Paty would be murdered. None of the defendants spent any time behind bars.
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