The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the nation’s largest Muslim civil rights and advocacy organization, today condemned the French government’s targeting of a European Muslim organization dedicated to opposing anti-Muslim bigotry, the Collectif Contre l’Islamophobie en Europe (Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe, CCIE), as a baseless and fascist act of government-sanctioned Islamophobia.
According to a statement issued by Belgium-based CCIE, “Yesterday, Tuesday, May 13, 2025, the CCIE was targeted by searches and custody measures involving, notably, its founding members.” CCIE added, “These searches are not based on any serious offense or imminent threat—they are clearly politically motivated. Their aim is to delegitimize grassroots efforts and support for victims, and to create a climate of fear around initiatives that call out anti-Muslim racism. This is an attempt to apply pressure, to discredit, to portray anti-racist activism as a threat. The police apparatus is being used to obstruct forms of expression that are nonetheless protected by the fundamental principles of law.”
SEE: Statement Following the House Raids and Custody Measures Targeting the CCIE
Shortly after, 26 organizations issued a statement saying the action “is unworthy of a democracy and must end.’
SEE: “We will not allow the Collective Against Islamophobia in Europe to be repressed”
“Civil society organizations countering hate are something the French government should encourage, particularly in the wake of the horrific, Islamophobic murder of Aboubakar Cissé,” said CAIR Research and Advocacy Director Corey Saylor. “This raid raises many questions and raises the specter of Austria’s embarrassing Operation Luxor. The French government’s radical hostility to religious freedom, free speech and equal rights for French Muslims must end.”
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SEE ALSO: Factsheet: Operation Luxor
[Note: Translations from French were done using Google Translate.]
CAIR has previously condemned the French government’s hypocritical and dangerous campaign of Islamophobic bigotry targeting French Muslims, mosques, and Islamic organizations.
SEE: CAIR Calls for Rejection of France’s Proposed Ban on Hijab, Other Religious Attire in Sports
CAIR’s mission is to protect civil rights, enhance understanding of Islam, promote justice, and empower American Muslims.
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CONTACT: CAIR National Communications Manager Ismail Allison, 202-770-6280, iallison@cair.com