France Isn't Arresting Muslims over Social Media Posts
The Claim
France has arrested hundreds of Muslims over posts on social media in the wake of renewed religious tensions.
News posted on
Emerging story
Users on Twitter have repeatedly shared that, following a crackdown on Islamist extremism by French President Emmanuel Macron, French authorities have begun arresting hundreds of Muslims over their posts on social media.
Another user has stated that others were arrested for merely liking publications on the internet.
When one sharer was asked to substantiate the statement, they shared a screenshot of an article by Anadolu Agency, a Turkish state run news site, titled “French police arrest Muslim NGO head in raid.”
Misbar’s Analysis
Misbar's team didn't find any evidence to support the circulating claims. Following the beheading of schoolteacher Samuel Paty by 18-year old Abdullah Anzorov in Conflans-Sainte-Honorine, Paris, for showing his pupils nude caricatures of Prophet Muhammed, the French government launched a crackdown against Muslim organizations. Additionally, vigilante groups have attacked mosques, whilst places of worship in Bordeaux and Beziers have been placed under police protection after having been threatened with violence. It has resulted in the intensification of tensions between the state and Europe’s largest Muslim minority. On October 20, the Grand Mosque of Pantin was ordered to temporarily close for six months after it had shared a video on Facebook that vented anger aimed at Paty, prior to his death, for showing the drawings of the prophet, with authorities justifying the move as prevention against acts of terrorism.
Earlier this month, President Macron stated that “Islam is a religion that is in crisis all over the world today, we are not just seeing this in our country”, prompting a backlash from the Muslim world and from Muslim leaders, including Turkey’s Recep Erodgan and Pakistan’s Imran Khan, as well as a mass boycott of French products in Middle Eastern supermarkets. There is a growing fear of Islamophobia and collective punishment amongst French Muslims.
After researching the reports, Misbar has found that there has been no substantial proof that French authorities have resorted to the mass arrest of hundreds of Muslims for their use of social media in their attempt to combat what they have classified as “Islamist Separatism.” Although the closure of mosques and the dissolving of organizations, including the Cheikh Yassine Collective, have been ordered for their alleged involvement in the killing of Paty, no reports have emerged over the arrest of hundreds of individuals for liking or sharing posts on social media. Additionally, the news article from Anadolu Agency, shared by one of the online claimants, refers to the arrest of Idriss Sihemedi, leader of the Muslim NGO BarakaCity, but no official statement has been released as to the charges leading to his arrest. Furthermore, the article was published on October 14, two days before the killing of Paty.
