French Muslims feeling targeted over 26/11 Mumbai-style attack threat in Europe

PARIS - Many Muslims in France have said that they feel increasingly targeted amid growing concerns of 26/11 Mumbai-style attacks in Europe.

“Look at what is happening now. There is a security alert - check. There are new rumors about Muslim militants and a few arrests - check … and immediately we are all tarred with the same brush: terrorism. Check,” The Christian Science Monitor quoted Kinaz Dicko, a devout Muslim, as saying.

Zaima Dendoune, who works as a religion teacher at the Tawhid mosque school in L’Ile Saint-Denis, said that suspecting the tiny minority of Muslims for all the alerts was very upsetting.

“Such talk hurts my feelings and makes me angry. Some Muslim leaders try to detach their people from European society, I know. But we are different. We are proud French,” Dendoune said.

“We are not political, but we do care about our Muslim brothers. We are proud Muslims equal to being proud French,” she added.

The threat of 26/11 Mumbai-style Al-Qaeda attacks across France, Britain and Germany came after intelligence agencies uncovered a plan, which was plotted in the lawless tribal areas of Waziristan in Pakistan.

The plot reportedly follows a different strategy from the suicide bombings associated with Al-Qaeda, as it involves small teams of militants seizing and killing hostages similar to the methods used in the 2008 Mumbai attacks, which claimed the lives of 173 people.

Terrorism experts believe that the plan is still in its early stages, but consider it serious enough for a security threat of ’severe’ level.

It is the second highest state of alert, which suggests an attack is highly likely. (ANI)