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Murder

France Closes Mosque for Promoting Online Hate Speech

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

In a move to prevent acts of terrorism, France has temporarily closed a mosque in the Paris suburb of Pantin after it shared a video on Facebook that promoted an online campaign against a teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class, leading to his beheading. The Grand Mosque of Pantin shared the video, which was posted by the father of a 13-year-old girl in the teacher's class, denouncing the lesson and calling for support in protest. The mosque's sharing of the video may have contributed to the murder of 18-year-old Samuel Paty, who was beheaded by a suspected Islamist seeking revenge for using the cartoons to teach students about freedom of expression and secular values.

Key Takeaways:

  • The mosque in Pantin, France was ordered to remain closed for six months to prevent acts of terrorism, after it shared a video promoting an online campaign against a teacher who showed cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed in class.
  • The Grand Mosque of Pantin shared a Facebook video posted by the father of a 13-year-old girl in the teacher's class, denouncing the lesson and calling for support in protest.
  • The teacher, Samuel Paty, was beheaded by an 18-year-old assassin seeking revenge for using the cartoons to teach students about freedom of expression and secular values.
  • Prior to the murder, French President Emmanuel Macron announced plans to tackle "Islamist separatism", the attempt by hostile elements within France's large Muslim community to impose conservative Islamic beliefs over French republican values.
  • The rector of the mosque, Regret M'hammed Henniche, expressed regret over sharing the video and denounced the murder of Paty, stating that Islam and its teaching categorically reprove such acts.
  • The mosque shared two other posts on its Facebook page, one denouncing the "barbaric murder" of Paty and another asking people to join a tribute to Paty in Paris.

Statistics:

  • The mosque in Pantin was ordered to remain closed for six months.
  • The online campaign against the teacher was shared on the Grand Mosque of Pantin's Facebook page.
  • The suspected assassin who beheaded the teacher was 18 years old.
  • The teacher, Samuel Paty, was murdered in a suburb to the northeast of Paris.
  • The murder of Paty occurred after he used cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed to teach students about freedom of expression and secular values.

Sources:

  • "France closes mosque in Paris suburb for promoting online hate speech". (AP News, 2021-10-22)
  • "France Closes Mosque Linked to Plot to Kill Teacher Over Prophet Muhammad Cartoons". (TIME Magazine, 2021-10-21)

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