French Muslims urge Islamophobia to be recognized as a crime

Paris: The Collective Against Islamophobia in France (Collectif contre l’Islamophobie en France; CCIF) has launched a media campaign to “open dialogue” and “deconstruct clichés” regarding Islam in France. The message of their campaign is “We are the Nation” or that Muslims are central to France whether it be “by birth, but also by their feeling of belonging, by their daily contribution and by the history of our country,” according to the CCIF on their website. They also add that “Islamophobia is not an opinion but is a crime.” The CCIF noted a rise in Islamophobic incidents in 2011 compared to the previous year.