ISLAMABAD: A disturbing incident occurred over the weekend near Lyon, France, where an individual entered a mosque and desecrated a Holy Quran by setting it on fire.
The act, reported by local religious leaders and police sources, has sparked outrage and concern among the Muslim community in the region as authorities launch an investigation.
Details of the Incident
According to the council of mosques in the Rhone region, the incident took place late Sunday night into Monday when a masked person entered the prayer room, took a copy of the Holy Quran, set it ablaze, and then discarded it outside the mosque before fleeing.
The police have confirmed that they are investigating the case, treating it as a serious religious offense.
This attack comes amid a heightened atmosphere of religious and racial tensions in France, following a recent racially motivated shooting in the southern town of Puget-sur-Argens.
The suspect, reportedly inspired by extremist far-right views, was arrested after shooting his Tunisian neighbor dead and seriously injuring a Turkish man.
Rising Religious and Racial Violence in France
Anti-terrorism prosecutors have taken over the investigation into the shooting, marking it as the first far-right linked racist attack treated as terrorism since the office was established in 2019.
The incident is part of a broader pattern of increasing hate crimes targeting religious minorities, including attacks on France’s Jewish community.
In April, a Malian man was fatally stabbed inside a mosque, while other recent acts include vandalism of Jewish sites in Paris and public burnings of the Quran in London and Sweden.
These attacks come amid ongoing geopolitical tensions, especially after the Hamas-Israel conflict escalated in October 2023, contributing to a rise in hate crimes across Europe.
France, home to Europe’s largest Muslim population and a significant Jewish community, is grappling with how to address these acts of intolerance and violence as social divisions deepen.
