French Teenager Who Posted Islamophobic Content Visits Paris Mosque

Rabat- Mila, a teenager who posted Islamophobic content on social media, visited the Great Mosque of Paris on Thursday.

The visit comes just a day after a court in France convicted 11 out of 13 people, sentencing them to four to six months in prison.

The 11 people are among the people who reacted to Mila’s Islamophobia on social networks.

The teenager also changed schools and received police protection, reports said.

She allegedly received threats after criticizing Islam online. 

According to a post in January 2020, she said on Instagram that the Quran is “filled with nothing but hate, Islam is a s**** religion.”

During her visit, the young woman vowed that her presence in the mosque “would be soothing for everyone,” AFP reported.

AFP said that Mila was asked about her opinion regarding Islam during her trip to the mosque.

She said that she “would be mixed on the issue. It depends. Between things that are misinterpreted between what is really my thought,” she said.

Rector of the mosque, Chems-eddine Hafiz , who accompanied Mila on the visit, explained that “Islam is a religion which, of course, it is necessary to respect.”

The rector said that Mila’s presence at the mosque is a source of hope.

The Paris mosque is a place open to everyone. We want to really show her what Islam is,” he said.

The case of Mila made international headlines and created divided opinions.

The lawyer for one of the defendants convicted in the case condemned the premise of the trial.

Juan Branco said that his client is not “a fanatic,” saying that he is someone who respects all beliefs.

The defendant, however, “doesn’t like this climate where one part of the French population is systematically under attack,” AP reported.

The lawyer said his client did not send any direct message to Mila.

In November 2020, Mila shared a video on TikTok, with anti-Islam content following the murder of Samuel Paty, a French teacher that was heiniously killed last year.

The teacher displayed cartoons against Islam during a lesson on freedom of expression.

An 18-year old from Chechen beheaded the teacher.

Muslims and non-Muslims alike condemned the attack.

Meanwhile, Muslims also condemned the outbreak of discrimination and Islamophobia in France following the murder.

Before the attacks, in early October 2020, Macron said Islam is a religion in “crisis across.”

The remarks came after a man carried out a stabbing attack near the former Charlie Hebdo office, in response to the satirical magazine republishing its cartoons of Prophet Mohammed in September 2020.

Following the attack against Samuel Paty on October 16, Macron said “Islamists want” France’s future.

In response to the rise in Islamophobia, Arabs and Muslims around the world launched a campaign to boycott French products.

A recent report from France’s National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) noted an increase of 52% in the amount of anti-Muslim acts around the country, which numbered at 234.