Note: Google Translate from Arabic in Al-Qudus Newspaper dated 2 April, 2025
According to the latest official statistics announced by the French Ministry of the Interior in a social media post, 173 anti-Muslim incidents were recorded in France in 2024. The ministry explained that the rate of attacks on Muslims decreased by 29% in 2024 compared to 2023.
However, the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) disputed the figures published by the Ministry of the Interior regarding Islamophobia in France. The French Center for Tolerance and Peace (CFTPE), which also receives numerous reports and supports victims of Islamophobia, recorded higher figures during the same period.
In fact, a report by a French parliamentary committee on Islamophobia in France, issued in March 2025, confirmed that the official figures do not reflect the true reality due to underreporting, lack of trust in the police, and the lack of adequate monitoring of these phenomena.
In total, 1,037 anti-Muslim incidents were reported, a 25% increase in 2024 compared to 2023, according to a statement released by the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) in February 2025 in response to the French Ministry of the Interior’s figures.
These figures highlight the gap between official data and the reality on the ground, which are stark. The organization added, “The discrepancy is stark, and it is essential to continue uncovering these facts to better understand the reality experienced by victims and combat Islamophobia.”
The figures released regarding Islamophobia in France in 2024 confirm the steady rise in attacks against Muslims over the past five years, from 2020 to 2024, a trend confirmed by figures released by organizations working on Muslim affairs in Europe.
During 2023, the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe (CCIE) recorded a record number of confirmed Islamophobic incidents, reaching 828, compared to 527 in 2022, a 57% increase. The vast majority of these incidents occurred in France, where over 90% of complaints were reported.
In 2022, the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe documented a total of 527 confirmed Islamophobic incidents, including 501 in France alone, representing 95% of the total. According to the organization’s data, this figure only includes incidents that were confirmed to be discriminatory after verification.
The Leopold Weiss Institute described 2021 as “a very difficult year for French Muslims,” particularly with the implementation of the anti-separatist law, which was heavily criticized by many observers for its “liberty-killing and repressive nature.”
According to the Leopold Weiss Institute, the dissolution of NGOs combating Islamophobia has limited the collection of statistics on anti-Muslim acts, confirming that it has been able to rely only on data from the French Ministry of the Interior.
In 2021, a total of 171 anti-Muslim acts were recorded, a 32% increase compared to 2019, according to the Islamophobia in Europe report, citing data published by French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin in the French press.
Meanwhile, the French Council of the Muslim Faith (CFCM) recorded “235 anti-Muslim acts in 2020, compared to 154 in 2019, a 53% increase in acts,” the institute announced in a press release on Thursday.
According to the French Council of the Muslim Faith, these figures are underestimates and do not accurately reflect the reality, “because many heads of places of worship are reluctant to file complaints, believing, rightly or wrongly, that investigations are rarely successful.”
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