(WASHINGTON, DC, 5/22/2023) – The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy group, today condemned France’s reported request that schools provide data on the number of pupils absent on the Muslim end-of-Ramadan holiday of Eid ul-fitr.
France’s Ministry of the Interior reportedly confirmed that it asked schools in the city of Toulouse “to evaluate” the rate of absenteeism on Eid ul-Fitr, on 21 April, but said that request did not constitute a census on faith.
SEE: Outcry after French police question schools about pupils absent on Muslim holiday
CAIR compared the alleged actions of French police to the 2001 to 2014 NYPD illegal and unconstitutional human mapping program that spied on and infiltrated Islamic institutions, including houses of worship, student groups and businesses that catered to the Muslim community.
In 2014, the NYPD disbanded its special unit that conducted widespread warrantless surveillance of law-abiding Muslims and settled one – of several lawsuits – in 2018, agreeing not to conduct surveillance based on religion or ethnicity.
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“We are concerned that this reported collection of information on the religious observances of French Muslim students is just part of the multifaceted governmental attack on Islam and the Muslim community in France,” said CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell. “These types of discriminatory policies targeting Muslim were illegal and counterproductive when used against American Muslims and are similarly unjust and damaging in France.”
He noted that France has repeatedly targeted that nation’s Muslim community with discriminatory actions and policies.
SEE: CAIR Urges Biden to Condemn France’s Forced Closure of Last Major French Muslim Civil Rights Organization
CAIR Warns American Muslims Against Travel to France, Condemns Macron’s ‘Hypocritical’ Attempt to Suppress Boycott Campaign
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
La misión de CAIR es proteger las libertades civiles, mejorar la comprensión del Islam, promover la justicia, y empoderar a los musulmanes en los Estados Unidos.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Deputy Director Edward Ahmed Mitchell, 404-285-9530, [email protected]; CAIR Government Affairs Director Robert McCaw, 202-742-6448, [email protected]; CAIR National Communications Director Ibrahim Hooper, 202-744-7726, [email protected], CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, [email protected]