A survey released by the Institut Français d’Opinion Publique (Ifop) has revealed that 26 per cent of French Muslims under the age of 25 refuse to condemn the 2015 Charlie Hebdo terror killings.
The study, which was undertaken in partnership with the satirical newspaper itself, revealed that 59 per cent of the French general public supported Charlie Hebdo‘s right to publish depictions of the Islamic prophet Mohammed — 21 per cent more than a similar study in 2006.
However, five per cent of Muslims say they do not condemn the actions of the radical Islamic terrorists who committed the attack, and when broken down by age, over a quarter of those under 25 said they would not condemn killings, while 12 per cent said they condemn the attack but share the values of the attackers.
72 per cent of all Muslims denounced the 2015 massacre — but this majority is still significantly lower than the figure for the public at large, with 88 per cent of the general population condemning the killings.
41 per cent of Muslims said they would not participate in a minute’s silence for the victims, and a quarter of Muslims said they would even hurl insults during ceremonies to honour those slain.
Gérard Biard, editor-in-chief of Charlie Hebdo, commented on the results, saying: “In 2020, when you’re between 15 and 24, freedom of expression is probably not a priority, unlike the fable maintained by billionaires who own social networks.”
He added that the inability of younger people to condemn the terror attacks was a major problem, calling it “more complicated and explosive” than issues surrounding the current Wuhan virus outbreak.
The spread of Islamist theology and ideology has been a significant problem in France in recent years, despite President Emmanuel Macron being forced to shut down several associations and schools linked to radicalism.
A leaked report earlier this year from the General Directorate for Internal Security (DGSI) said that as many as 150 neighbourhoods across France were “held” by radical Islamic extremists.