A worshipper is murdered in a French mosque. How can this be ‘just another crime’? | Rokhaya Diallo

Islamophobia is rampant in France. Official denial, even of the word itself, is driving the hatred

Friday is a holy day for practising Muslims – a time to observe the faith more deeply and, where possible, attend prayers at the mosque. That’s exactly what Aboubakar Cissé did early on Friday 25 April.

In the southern French village of La Grand-Combe, Cissé, a 22-year-old carpenter originally from Mali, volunteered at his local mosque and was a familiar face among worshippers. So when he offered guidance through the prayers and rituals that Friday to a newcomer, a young man he did not know , it was an entirely natural gesture. The stranger, however, had come to prayers with very different intentions.

Rokhaya Diallo is a Guardian Europe columnist

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