TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The attack towards the Charlie Hebdo office has resulted in religious tension. Muslim groups in France claimed that there have been over 100 incidents towards Muslims reported in the past two weeks.
The French Council for the Muslim Religion said that its recent study found that 128 anti-Muslim actions or threats were recorded in France from January 7, 2015, through January 20, 2015. "This is nearly the same in comparison to 133 acts in all of France, including Paris, throughout 2014," said the group.
The situation in France escalated after the attack on Charlie Hebdo magazine office that occurred on January 7, 2015, which killed 12 people. The attack was conducted by Cherif and Said Kouachi, members of an Al-Qaeda affiliate group in retaliation towards the publication of the Prophet Muhammad caricature by the magazine.
Since the attack, mosques have been damaged by a grenade, gunshots and repeated vandalism, while stores owned by Muslims have been burned, the French Council for the Muslim Religion said in its report. At least one person was assaulted and hospitalized, said Abdallah Zekri of the National Observatory Against Islamophobia, which worked with the council to produce the study.
French President Francois Hollande urged the people to be on alert in facing unexpected terror attacks in the country. He also said that the attacks were done by fanatics and has nothing to do with Islam.
REUTERS | AL-JAZEERA | RAJU FEBRIAN
