By Joe Mellor, Deputy Editor
An expected back lash against Muslim communities is already beginning to be felt in France and beyond. The Paris attacks have seen heightened levels of anger against followers of Islam.
In the on-line world this vitriol has been even more acute, so to try and deal with this a group of French Muslim students from The Etudiants Musulmans de France – a group representing thousands of French citizens of Muslim faith – released a video in defence of their faith. In the clip they say that the beliefs of the mass murderers behind the Paris attacks, are not those of true Muslims.
The students pledge solidarity to France and everyone affected, calling the attackers ‘anti-Islamic cowards’ and hold up placards reading #NousSommmesUnis (We are and forever will be united).
The voiceover says:
“They think they are fighting Crusaders, and they invoke the Qur’an, and quote its verses. But shedding the blood of an innocent has no justification… not in Islam or anywhere. They wanted France to be weak, they made our French hearts strong.”
In response to the hatred faced by Muslims the #NotAllMuslims is helping many across the world to unite in the face of the Islamophobia and anti-Muslim propaganda. They wish to spread the message that these killers are in a tiny minority of people who claim to follow the Muslim faith.
This positive message will hopefully resonate across the world and bring unity in the face of division.
Watch the video (see below)