There is no safe place left for Muslims in France

Late last month, reports emerged that Aboubakr Cisse, a young black Muslim of Malian origin, was murdered in a mosque in southern France.

Initially portrayed in the media as a personal dispute, the incident soon took on a different tone, with the local prosecutor announcing that the case was being investigated as an "Islamophobic act."

Cisse was not just killed, he was targeted in a holy place. After cleaning the mosque for Friday prayers, surveillance cameras show him teaching another man how to pray. As Cisse bowed his head, the other man, pretending to be praying, pulled out a knife and stabbed him 57 times, shouting Islamophobic slurs.

The psychological trauma caused by this incident is profound. Since the release of the footage, every detail has deepened the collective grief and anger of the Muslim community.

Like many others, I asked myself the same question over and over again: could we have prevented this?

I would like to say I was shocked. But as an openly Muslim French woman who leads a pan-European network of Muslim youth and student groups, I know that we have seen the warning signs for years. These signs have been deliberately ignored.

Cisse was young, black, and Muslim. He quietly served his community, like many others in a sheltered, nurturing environment. At the same time, he embodied all the traits that political hate mongers have tried to dehumanize for years.

Decades of bigotry

Even with clear video evidence, many still refuse to acknowledge this incident as a hate crime at the intersection of Islamophobia and anti-Black racism. It was not a personal feud, but the inevitable result of decades of bigotry that had become the norm.

A French citizen of Bosnian origin has been arrested in connection with the case. His lawyer denies that Cisse was targeted because of his religion, but Abdullah Zekri, vice president of the French Muslim Council, believes the evidence is clear: "This is an Islamophobic crime, the most terrible of all crimes committed against our community in France."

This is not about one crazy person. This is about an entire system of hate that includes government policies disguised as neutrality, a media that portrays Muslims as a threat, and the daily discrimination that Muslim students, workers, and families face.

A Europe where people like Cisse can be killed in mosques cannot call itself a union of equality, freedom, and human rights.

Cisse's brutal killing is not an exception, but the logical conclusion of a political project that turns fear into a voice and citizens into targets.

When a Muslim woman wearing a hijab in France has an 80 percent lower chance of getting a job, when Muslim schools are subject to unfair inspections, and a man can be killed in his own mosque, we can say frankly that there is no real safety for Muslims anywhere in France.

We have been crying out for years. We have demanded dialogue, protection, and respect. But our calls have been met with closed doors and institutional exclusion.

This is no longer political inaction. This is partnership.

How many more must die?

Across France, people are gathering in droves to pay their respects to Cisse. And it's not the first time this has happened.

After the killing of Marwa al-Sherbini in 2009, we asked: how many more? After the killing of Makram Ali in 2017, we asked again: how many more? But now, after the brutal killing of Cisse, we have stopped asking. We are now shouting: enough, enough!

How many more lives must be lost before Islamophobia is recognized as a systemic threat? How many more mosques must be turned into crime scenes before the safety of European Muslims becomes an unquestioned political priority?

We need urgent and systemic change, not formal consultations and empty statements. Tackling Islamophobia means treating Muslims not as a threat, but as equal partners in shaping Europe. This requires recognizing Islamophobia as a form of racism rooted in the legacy of colonialism, not as simple religious intolerance.

The EU's anti-racism strategy should be developed in partnership with Muslim communities. It should recognise the multifaceted nature of discrimination and not isolate Islamophobia from the broader fight against racism.

If we ignore how Islamophobia is linked to discrimination and systemic exclusion against black people and other minorities, the most vulnerable will continue to suffer from Europe's indifference.

Despite the sadness, fear and anger, mosques remain places of openness and dignity, just as Cisse exemplified. For this, we have a responsibility to our youth, our future and the idea of Europe.

After all, a Europe where Cisse could be executed in his own mosque has no right to call itself a union of equality, freedom, and human rights.

Hania Jalal , President of the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations (FEMYSO)