Unidentified individual attempts to set fire to a mosque in France

A new wave of frustration and discontent has swept through the Muslim community in France following an attack on the mosque of Saint Martin des Champs, a commune in the Finistère department of Brittany in northwest France.

An individual set fire to one of the mosques on January 13, sparking backlash and frustration among Muslims in the region and throughout the country, according to France 3.

A surveillance video documented the attack when an individual set fire to the door of a mosque room. There were no casualties following the attack.

The prefecture, according to the same source, “reacted promptly, and strongly condemned the act against a place of worship.”

Similar attacks sparked growing fear among the Muslim community in France, which has been witnessing a notable rise in hateful crimes against Muslims.

This is not the first attack on a mosque in France.  In many cities across the country, Muslim communities have been overwhelmed by different racist attacks, including offensive comments on social media, and acts of vandalism or sabotage targeting mosques, cemeteries, and Muslim-run businesses, according to Morocco World News.

One of the latest attacks was in November 2023, when and islamophobic graffiti was sprayed on the Pessac Mosque in Girone.  The anti-Muslim tags included threats like “France for the French,” and “Your coffins or your suitcases.”

The perpetrators also painted the Crosses of Lorraine, symbolizing the French resistance to the Nazi occupation in the 40s.  The symbol is commonly used by some sympathizers of far-right causes in France, who peddle the Islamophobic arguments that Muslims are “invading France.”