An unidentified person has taken a Qur’an from a mosque close to Lyon, France, and burned it, the latest move in a series of rising anti-Muslim hate crimes across the European country.
According to a statement from the Council of Mosques of the Rhone (CMR) department, a person entered the prayer hall late Sunday night, burned a copy of the Qur’an, and left it outside the mosque in Villeurbanne before escaping.
“This vile act is part of a series of hateful assaults that reflect a worrying and increasingly hostile climate towards Muslim citizens in France,” the CMR said.
It added that the move was “Islamophobic” in nature and done with “appalling cowardice.”
The CMR pointed to recent violent attacks, including the April 25 stabbing death of Aboubakar Cissé during prayers at a mosque and Saturday’s fatal shooting of a Tunisian man by his neighbor, and stated that the Qur’an burning occurred amid a “particularly painful context.”
“We strongly condemn this heinous desecration, which is a grave violation of the dignity of worshippers and of the fundamental principles of our Republic, foremost among them being freedom of worship,” it said.
It urged authorities to identify the perpetrator and initiate “exemplary” legal proceedings.
“Now more than ever, it is our collective responsibility – that of institutions, elected officials, and every citizen – to stand united against all forms of hatred, stigmatization, and violence targeting places of worship and believers, regardless of their faith,” the CMR added.
Police have opened an investigation into the incident.
France, which has the highest Muslim population in the EU, has experienced a troubling surge in anti-Muslim attacks amid intensified political tensions.
A series of Qur’an burnings and similar instances of desecration of the Muslim holy book across Europe, including in the summer of 2023 under the pretext of free speech, sparked angry protests in many Arab and Muslim countries that issued vehement condemnations of the reprehensible profanity.
A motion filed at the United Nations human rights body in July 2023, in response to the desecrations, called on countries to review their laws and plug gaps that may “impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred.”
