Paris: tight security as Muslims attend Friday prayers

[Jonathan Fairfield]

Paris: tight security as Muslims attend Friday prayers

Muslims across Paris have attended Friday prayers, one week after the terror attacks which claimed the lives of 130 people.

Security was tight around the capital’s Grand Mosque. It was forced to call off a planned rally against terrorism after police were unable to assure the safety of attendees.

“It makes sense to have this much security,” said one man outside the mosque. “Like I said before, it’s because of generalisations. People make generalisations based on what happened, based on the acts committed by a few individuals, which were not at all committed in the name of Islam.”

One man drew on the stigma being attached to Muslims by some leaders.

“Certain French leaders are making generalisations now and stigmatising the Muslim community, even though we have nothing to do with it. We don’t need to apologise. Sympathise, maybe, but we don’t need to apologise, because we also lost people in these attacks,” he said.

While one woman added:

“We are also mothers. We are also afraid of being tarred with the same brush as the extremists and we are afraid for our children. Today in the metro, people were giving me strange looks.”

Main mosque groups urged imams to denounce the attacks, while some Muslim leaders used their sermons to reject violence. Suggested texts for sermons were also distributed.

Meanwhile the French government’s crackdown on radical preachers led to a raid on a mosque in the western city of Brest. A dawn raid on Friday (November 20) uncovered no evidence of anything illegal.

Source: http://www.euronews.com/2015/11/20/paris-tight-security-as-muslims-attend-friday-prayers/

-- (c) Copyright Euronews 2015-11-21

[overherebc]

" Today in the Metro people were giving me strange looks"

Maybe because of your style of dressing, maybe because continuing to wear it you point yourself out as being someone different and someone who hasn't integrated but prefers to live in an area where there's only people who dress and act like you.

You are now in Europe and Europe should be your adopted home, stop trying not to fit in. You can continue to attend to your religious beliefs but don't do it just to remain different.

You probably wouldn't believe me if I told you that my (ex) religion is banned in a few countries in a certain area of the world and it would be illegal for me to wear your style of mens clothing while I was there. Why can't 'we' force that on you.

Integrate or Emigrate, the choice is yours at the moment. But, things may change,

[bangkokheat]

such a temptation

[4737 Carlin]

"We don’t need to apologise. Sympathise, maybe, but we don’t need to apologise."

Thanks for, maybe, sympathising.

[cookee68]

If you so want to intergrate stop trying to hide yourself, that is just intimidating, if I approached you with a balaclava on, how would you feel or react, well that's how many people see you, many people from the EU are forced to dress like Muslims when abroad, where is your respect for that person and their country then, and you wonder why your religion has been regarded as the worst and most false religion ever