Dar Al-Ifta's Islamophobia Observatory denounced on Tuesday the statements of a French parliament member, in which she said that the presence of veiled women in France has become similar to Nazi occupation. She added that veiled women and Nazis are not very different from each other, as Muslims kill and shed blood in the name of God. She also seconded the statements of a republican member of parliament, stating that veiled women on beaches with their long clothes look like ‘trash'. The observatory further said in its statement that it is irrational and unacceptable to compare veiled women to Nazis only because terrorists chant in the name of God during their attacks. It is similar to blaming all Germans for the crime done by the German-Iranian boy, who killed nine people while saying "I'm German". The French MP is known for statements that reflect her hatred of Muslims and Islam. She previously suggested prohibiting the building of mosques in France, and called for the destruction of all mosques. She added that mosques are places that call for hatred and bigotry. She also recommended punishing women for covering their faces with a burqa, according to the statement.
The observatory concluded its statement by saying that these statements are like a gift to the radical groups, as they use them to victimise themselves and recruit European youth through social media platforms. French statements on Muslim women have significantly increased over the past few weeks. The mayor of Cannes in France banned women from wearing burkinis (full-body swimsuits) on beaches, saying that it is a sign of "Islamic extremism". He also described burkinis as not being respectful to good morals and secularism. France is the first European country to ban burqas, after a law passed in 2010 in favour of the ban. It was followed by Belgium, the Netherlands, and Switzerland. However, the ban in these countries is partial. The Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) reportedly filed a complaint about the bans to the French state council. CCIF's spokesperson said that France is witnessing a "hysterical political Islamophobia" this summer. France had witnessed several terror attacks over the past two years, last of which took place a few weeks ago, when two French Muslims attacked a church and cut the throat of a Roman Catholic priest. Also on 14 July, a Tunisian man drove a truck into the crowds in the French city Nice and killed about 85 people.
