View source for Islam in France

{{Short description|none}} <!-- "none" is preferred when the title is sufficiently descriptive; see [[WP:SDNONE]] -->
{{Redirect|Muslims of France|the organization with this name|Muslims of France (organization)}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2020}} 
{{Infobox religious group
| group         = French Muslims
| flag          = 
| flag_caption  = 
| flag_size     = 
| image         = La mosquée de Paris (3695726776).jpg
| image_caption = [[Grand Mosque of Paris|Grand Mosque]], [[Paris]].
| image_size    = 300px

| population = 7 to 9 million (10% to 13% of the population)
| founder       =[[Prophet Muhammad|Islamic Prophet Muhammad]] 
| regions       = [[Île-de-France]], [[Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur]], [[Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes]], [[Hauts-de-France]], [[Mayotte]]
| tablehdr      =

| religions     = {{plainlist|'''Predominantly''':- [[Sunni Islam]] <br />'''Minority''':- [[Shia Islam]], [[Sufism]] and [[Ibadi Islam|Ibadism]]}}
| scriptures    =[[Quran]] • [[Hadith]] 
| languages     = Mainly [[French language|French]]. Also [[Arabic]], [[Berber languages|Amazigh]], [[Turkish language|Turkish]], other languages
| related-c     = 
| website       =
| notes         = 
}}
{{Islam in Europe by country}}
{{Islam by country}}
[[Islam]] is the second-largest [[religion in France]] after [[Christianity]]. As of the most recent estimates, it is followed by approximately 9 million people, accounting for about 13% of the national population. This represents a steady increase from 2023, when [[Muslims]] comprised around 10% of the adult population—approximately 6.8 million people—according to data from [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Religious diversity in France: intergenerational transmissions and practices by origins {{!}} Insee |url=https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/7342918 |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=www.insee.fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-04-01 |title="Ne pas stigmatiser nos 9 millions de compatriotes musulmans": le revirement de Bayrou sur le port du voile dans le sport |url=https://rmcsport.bfmtv.com/societe/ne-pas-stigmatiser-nos-9-millions-de-compatriotes-musulmans-le-revirement-de-bayrou-sur-le-port-du-voile-dans-le-sport_AV-202504010329.html |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=RMC Sport |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Port du voile dans le sport : "Il ne faut pas stigmatiser nos 9 millions de compatriotes musulmans !" François Bayrou ralentit-il le vote de cette loi ? |url=https://www.ladepeche.fr/2025/04/01/port-du-voile-dans-le-sport-il-ne-faut-pas-stigmatiser-nos-9-millions-de-compatriotes-musulmans-francois-bayrou-ralentit-il-le-vote-de-cette-loi-12608745.php |access-date=2025-05-28 |website=ladepeche.fr |language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2025-04-01 |title=« Ne pas stigmatiser 9 millions de musulmans », dit Bayrou sur le port du voile dans le sport |url=https://www.ouest-france.fr/sport/ne-pas-stigmatiser-9-millions-de-musulmans-dit-bayrou-sur-le-port-du-voile-dans-le-sport-2be9ac26-0eef-11f0-a359-3785f88c9270 |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250403013101/https://www.ouest-france.fr/sport/ne-pas-stigmatiser-9-millions-de-musulmans-dit-bayrou-sur-le-port-du-voile-dans-le-sport-2be9ac26-0eef-11f0-a359-3785f88c9270 |archive-date=2025-04-03 |access-date=2025-05-28 |work=Ouest-France.fr |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

The majority of Muslims in France belong to the [[Sunni Islam|Sunni]] denomination and are of foreign origins. Sizeable minorities of [[Shia]] and [[non-denominational Muslim]]s also exist. The French [[overseas region]] of [[Mayotte]] has a majority Muslim population, with 97% of the population following [[Islam]].<ref>https://inews.co.uk/news/world/marine-le-pen-is-winning-the-french-election-in-a-majority-muslim-heartland-in-the-indian-ocean-1584572</ref>

A report from the French Institute of Statistics in 2024 have reported that 76% of Muslims in France believe that religion is very important while 24% have stated religion played a somewhat important part and role in their life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France, immigration strengthens Muslim presence |url=https://newdailycompass.com/en/france-immigration-strengthens-muslim-presence |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=newdailycompass.com |language=en}}</ref>
The Insee and the National Institute for Demographic Studies in France found that the use of the veil for Muslim women has increased by 55% from 2009 to 2020. There has been a observable increase among all geographic origins, of Muslim women and among second and third generations of Muslim women in France.<ref>https://newdailycompass.com/en/france-immigration-strengthens-muslim-presence</ref>

According to a survey in which 536 people of Muslim origin participated, 39% of Muslims in France surveyed by the polling group IFOP said they observed Islam's five prayers daily in 2008, a steady rise from 31% in 1994, according to the study published in the Catholic daily ''[[La Croix (newspaper)|La Croix]]''.<ref name=":32">{{cite news|last=Heneghan|first=Tom|date=17 January 2008|title=French Muslims becoming more observant|website=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-france-muslims/french-muslims-becoming-more-observant-idUSL176050220080117|access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref> Mosque attendance for Friday prayers has risen to 23% in 2008, up from 16% in 1994, while [[Ramadan]] observance has reached 70% in 2008 compared to 60% in 1994.<ref>''L'Islam en France et les réactions aux attentats du 11 septembre 2001, Résultats détaillés,'' [[Ifop]], HV/LDV No.1-33-1, 28 September 2001</ref> Alcohol consumption also declined from 39% to 34%.<ref name=":32" />

==History==

===Early history===
{{main|Septimania|Franco-Ottoman alliance}}
[[File:Barbarossa fleet wintering in Toulon 1543.jpg|thumb|Barbarossa's fleet in Toulon, 1543]]
[[File:Père-Lachaise - Division 85 - enclos musulman 02.jpg|thumb|Funeral in Muslim section of [[Père Lachaise Cemetery]], 1865]]
[[File:Père-Lachaise - Division 85 - Mosquée 03.jpg|thumb|Muslim section of Père Lachaise, between 1903 and 1914]]
During the [[Muslim conquest of the Iberian Peninsula|conquest of Iberia]] and the [[Umayyad invasion of Gaul|conquest of Gaul]], the [[Umayyad Caliphate|Umayyad]] forces would conquer and annex the entirety of the [[Iberian Peninsula]] and modern day [[southern France]]. Though they would eventually withdraw in 732 AD. However, [[Septimania]] remained under Umayyad dominance until 759. During a later battle, the [[Al-Andalus|Al Andalusians]] established the fortress [[Fraxinetum]].

In 838, the ''[[Annales Bertiniani]]'' record that Muslims raided [[Marseille]] in southern France, plundered its religious houses and took captive both men and women, clerical and lay, as slaves. In 842, the ''Annales'' report a raid in the vicinity of [[Arles]]. In 869, raiders returned to Arles and captured the archbishop, [[Roland (archbishop of Arles)|Roland]]. They accepted a ransom in return for the archbishop, but when they handed him over he was already dead{{how|date=April 2024}}.<ref>{{cite book |first=Scott G. |last=Bruce |title=Cluny and the Muslims of La Garde-Freinet: Hagiography and the Problem of Islam in Medieval Europe |url=https://archive.org/details/clunymuslimsofla00bruc |url-access=registration |publisher=Cornell University Press |year=2016|isbn=9780801452994 |pages=22–23}}</ref> The construction of a castle in the [[Camargue]] following these raids up the Rhône may have induced raiders to try points further east, culminating in the establishment of a permanent base of operations at Fraxinetum.<ref>{{cite book |author-link=Archibald R. Lewis |first=Archibald R. |last=Lewis |title=Development of Southern French and Catalan Society, 718–1050 |publisher=University of Texas Press |year=1965 |page=102}}</ref> In 887, Muslim forces from [[Al-Andalus]] conquered several bases in France and established the emirate of [[Fraxinet]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Belich |first=James |date=2022 |title=The World the Plague Made: The Black Death and the Rise of Europe |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=9780691222875 |page=22}}</ref> They were eventually defeated and expelled in 975.<ref>Manfred, W: "International Journal of Middle East Studies", pages 59–79, Vol. 12, No. 1. Middle East Studies Association of North America, 1980.</ref>

During the winter of 1543–1544, after the [[siege of Nice]], [[Toulon]] was used as an [[Ottoman navy|Ottoman naval]] base under admiral [[Hayreddin Barbarossa]]. The Christian population was temporarily evacuated, and [[Toulon Cathedral]] was briefly converted into a mosque until the Ottomans' departure.

After the [[expulsion of the Moriscos]] from Spain in 1609–1614, about 50,000 Moriscos entered France, according to the research of [[Henri Lapeyre]].<ref>Henri Lapeyre. ''Geographie de l'Espagne morisque.''. EHESS, 1959</ref>

===1960-1970s labor immigration===
Muslim immigration, mostly male, was high in the late 1960s and 1970s. These immigrants mostly hailed from [[Algeria]] and other former French colonies in North Africa; however, Islam has had an older history in France, since the [[Paris Mosque|Great Mosque of Paris]] was built in 1922, as a sign of recognition from the French Republic to the fallen Muslim ''[[tirailleur]]s'' mainly coming from Algeria, in particular at the battle of [[Verdun]] and the takeover of the [[Douaumont]] fort.

===French Council of the Muslim Faith===
Though the French State is secular, in recent years the government has tried to organize a representation of French Muslims. In 2002, the then Interior Minister [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] initiated the creation of a "[[French Council of the Muslim Faith]]" (''Conseil Français du Culte Musulman''&nbsp;– CFCM), though wide criticism claimed this would only encourage [[communitarianism]]. Though the CFCM is informally recognized by the national government, it is a private nonprofit association with no special legal status. {{As of|2004}}, it is headed by the rector of the [[Paris Mosque]], [[Dalil Boubakeur]]&nbsp;– who harshly criticized the controversial [[Union of Islamic Organisations of France]] (UOIF) for involving itself in political matters during the 2005 riots. Sarkozy's views on ''[[laïcité]]'' have been widely criticized by left- and right-wing members of parliament; more specifically, he was accused, during the creation of the CFCM, of favoring the more extreme sectors of Muslim representation in the Council, in particular the UOIF.

===Second generation immigrants===
The first generation of Muslim immigrants, who are today mostly retired from the workforce, kept strong ties with their countries, where their families lived. In 1976,<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://clesdusocial.com/france/fr17-histoire/fr-hist-avril76-regroupement-familial.htm |title=Avril 1976 – le droit au regroupement familial |access-date=2012-11-14 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120116235011/http://www.clesdusocial.com/france/fr17-histoire/fr-hist-avril76-regroupement-familial.htm |archive-date=2012-01-16 |url-status=dead }}</ref> the government passed a law allowing families of these immigrants to settle in France. Thus, the spouses, children, and other family members of these immigrants also came to France. Most immigrants, realizing that they could not or did not want to return to their [[homeland]], [[nationalization|asked for French nationality]] before quietly retiring. However, many live alone in [[housing projects]], having now lost their ties with their families and friends back from their home countries.{{citation needed|date=April 2024}}

[[Olivier Roy (professor)|Olivier Roy]] indicates that for first-generation immigrants, the fact that they are Muslims is only one element among others. Their identification with their country of origin is much stronger: they see themselves first through their descent (Algerians, [[Morocco|Moroccans]], [[Demographics of Tunisia|Tunisians]], etc.).

The false claim that a third of newborns in France have Muslim parents,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2017-10-23 |title=Geworld Disseminated Fake Information on the Number of Muslims in Europe |url=https://mythdetector.ge/en/geworld-disseminated-fake-information-on-the-number-of-muslims-in-europe/ |access-date=2022-05-22 |website=mythdetector.ge |language=en-US}}</ref> is brought up in sensationalist American immigration discourse.<ref>"in France, approximately one birth in three is to a Muslim family" in [[Jennifer Roback Morse]], [[Acton Institute]], [http://www.acton.org/commentary/commentary_307.php 2006-01-25] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090625202708/http://www.acton.org/commentary/commentary_307.php |date=2009-06-25 }}; 1 out of every 3 babies born in France today is a Muslim baby." in [[Mark Steyn]], ''[[America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It]]'', Regnery ed, 2006-09-16, {{ISBN|0-89526-078-6}}, p. 47;</ref>

===Maghrebis===
According to [[Michèle Tribalat]], a researcher at [[Institut national d'études démographiques|INED]], people of [[Maghrebis|Maghrebi]] origin in France represent 82% of the Muslim population (43.2% from [[Algeria]], 27.5% from [[Morocco]], and 11.4% from [[Tunisia]]). Others are from sub-Saharan Africa (9.3%) and [[Turkey]] (8.6%).<ref>Michèle Tribalat, ''L'islam en France'', p. 28</ref> She estimated that there were 3.5&nbsp;million people of Maghrebi origin (with at least one grandparent from Algeria, Morocco, or Tunisia) living in France in 2005 corresponding to 5.8% of the total French metropolitan population (60.7&nbsp;million in 2005).<ref>Michèle Tribalat, [http://eps.revues.org/index3657.html "Mariages 'mixtes' et immigration en France"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110914091602/http://eps.revues.org/index3657.html|date=2011-09-14}}, Espace populations sociétés [En ligne], 2009/2 | 2009, mis en ligne le 01 avril 2011</ref> Maghrebis have settled mainly in the industrial regions in France, especially in the [[Île-de-France (region)|Paris region]]. Many famous French people like [[Edith Piaf]],<ref>Carolyn Burke. ''No Regrets: The Life of Edith Piaf'', Bloomsbury Publishing, 2011, [https://books.google.com/books?id=RNKhl9_rm_EC&pg=PA5 p.5] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160113082116/https://books.google.com/books?id=RNKhl9_rm_EC&pg=PA5 |date=2016-01-13 }}</ref> [[Isabelle Adjani]], [[Arnaud Montebourg]], [[Alain Bashung]], [[Dany Boon]], and many others have varying degrees of Maghrebi ancestry.

Below is a table of the population of Maghrebi origin in France, numbers are in thousands{{update inline|date=April 2024}}:

{| class="wikitable sortable" style="text-align:center; font-size: 70%"
! Country
! 1999
! 2005
! % 1999/2005
! % French population (60.7&nbsp;million in 2005)
|-
| '''Algeria'''||'''1,577'''||'''1,865'''||'''+18.3%'''||'''3.1%'''
|-
| Immigrants||574||679||||
|-
| Born in France||1,003||1,186||||
|-
| '''Morocco'''||'''1,005'''||'''1,201'''||'''+19.5%'''||'''2.0%'''
|-
| Immigrants||523||625||||
|-
| Born in France||482||576||||
|-
| '''Tunisia'''||'''417'''||'''458'''||'''+9.8%'''||'''0.8%'''
|-
| Immigrants||202||222||||
|-
| Born in France||215||236||||
|-
| '''Total Maghreb'''||'''2,999'''||'''3,524'''||'''+17.5%'''||'''5.8%'''
|-
| Immigrants||1 299||1 526||||2.5%
|-
| Born in France||1 700||1 998||||3.3%
|-
|}

In 2005, the percentage of young people under 18 of Maghrebi origin (at least one immigrant parent) was about 7% in [[Metropolitan France]], 12% in [[Île-de-France (region)|Greater Paris]] and above 20% in French [[Departments of France|département]] of [[Seine-Saint-Denis]].<ref>Michèle Tribalat, ''Revue Commentaire'', juin 2009, n°127</ref><ref>Michèle Tribalat, ''Les yeux grands fermés'', Denoël, 2010</ref>

{| class="wikitable"
!% in 2005
![[Seine-Saint-Denis]]
![[Val-de-Marne]]
![[Val-d'Oise]]
![[Lyon]]
!Paris
!France
|-
|'''Total Maghreb'''
| align="right" |22.0%
| align="right" |13.2%
| align="right" |13.0%
| align="right" |13.0%
| align="right" |12.1%
| align="right" |6.9%
|-
|}

In 2008, the French national institute of statistics, [[INSEE]], estimated that 11.8&nbsp;million foreign-born immigrants and their direct descendants (born in France) lived in France representing 19% of the country's population. About 4 million of them are of [[Maghrebis|Maghrebi]] origin.<ref>[http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287 Être né en France d'un parent immigré] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110703063134/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/document.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=ip1287|date=2011-07-03}}, [[Insee Première]], n°1287, mars 2010, Catherine Borrel et Bertrand Lhommeau, Insee</ref><ref name="Insee_1">[http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais Répartition des immigrés par pays de naissance 2008] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111026174732/http://www.insee.fr/fr/themes/tableau.asp?reg_id=0&ref_id=immigrespaysnais |date=2011-10-26 }}, Insee, October 2011</ref>

According to some non-scientific sources between 5 and 6 million people of Maghrebin origin live in France corresponding to about 7–9% of the total French metropolitan population.<ref>[[Robert Castel]], ''La discrimination négative'', Paris, La République des idées/Seuil, 2007</ref>

===Religious practices===

A report from the French Institute of Statistics in 2024 have reported that 76% of Muslims in France believe that religion is very important while 24% have stated religion played a somewhat important part and role in their life.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France, immigration strengthens Muslim presence |url=https://newdailycompass.com/en/france-immigration-strengthens-muslim-presence |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=newdailycompass.com |language=en}}</ref>

The Insee and the National Institute for Demographic Studies in France found that the use of the veil for Muslim women has increased by 55% from 2009 to 2020. There has been a observable increase among all geographic origins, of Muslim women and among second and third generations of Muslim women in France.<ref>https://newdailycompass.com/en/france-immigration-strengthens-muslim-presence</ref>

The great majority of Muslims practice their religion in the French framework of [[laïcité]], as a religious code of conduct must not infringe the public area. A study in 2008 found that 39% pray ([[salat]]) five times a day, 23% attend mosque on Fridays, 70% observe the fast of [[Ramadan]], and 66% abstain from alcohol.<ref name=":32"/> Rachel Brown shows that some Muslims in France alter some of these religious practices, particularly food practices, as a means of showing "integration" into French culture.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Brown|first=Rachel|date=2016|title=How Gelatin Becomes a Symbol of Muslim Identity: Food Practice as a Lens into the Study of Religion and Migration.|journal=Religious Studies and Theology|volume=35|issue=2|pages=185–205|doi=10.1558/rsth.32558}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book|chapter-url=https://oxfordre.com/politics/view/10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.001.0001/acrefore-9780190228637-e-798|chapter=Muslim Integration and French Society|last=Brown|first=Rachel|title=Oxford Research Encyclopedia of Politics|date=2019|publisher=Oxford Research Encyclopedia|doi=10.1093/acrefore/9780190228637.013.798|isbn=978-0-19-022863-7}}</ref> According to expert [[Franck Fregosi]]: "Although fasting during Ramadan is the most popular practice, it ranks more as a sign of Muslim identity than piety, and it is more a sign of belonging to a culture and a community",<ref name=":32"/> and he added that not drinking alcohol "seems to be more a cultural behavior".<ref name=":32"/>

Some Muslims (the UOIF for example) request the recognition of an [[islamism|Islamic]] community in France (which remains to be built) with an official status.

Two main organizations are recognized by the French Council of Muslim Faith (CFCM): the "Federation of the French Muslims" (''Fédération des musulmans de France'') with a majority of Moroccan leaders, and the controversial "Union of Islamic Organisations of France" (''Union des organizations islamiques de France'') (UOIF). In 2008, there were about 2,125 Muslim [[places of worship]] in France.<ref>L'Annuaire musulman, édition 2008 Orientica</ref>

===Education===
Since publicly funded state schools in France must be secular, owing to the 1905 [[separation of Church and State#France|separation of Church and State]], Muslim parents who wish their children to be educated at a religious school often choose private (and therefore fee-paying, though heavily subsidized) Catholic schools, of which there are many. Few specifically Muslim schools have been created. There is a Muslim school in [[La Réunion]] (a French island to the east of [[Madagascar]]), and the first Muslim [[Secondary education in France|''collège'']] (a school for students aged eleven to fifteen) opened its doors in 2001 in [[Aubervilliers]] (a suburb northeast of Paris), with eleven students. Unlike most private schools in the United States and the UK, these religious schools are affordable for most parents since they may be heavily subsidized by the government (teachers' wages in particular are covered by the state).

===Radicalization===
{{See also|Foreign fighters in the Syrian and Iraqi Civil Wars#France}}

In November 2015 in the aftermath of the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|Paris attacks]], French authorities for the first time closed three mosques with extremist activities and radicalization being given as the reason. The mosques were located in [[Lagny-sur-Marne]], [[Lyon]], and [[Gennevilliers]].<ref name=ti_2dec2015>{{cite news|title=Paris terror attacks: France shuts down three mosques in security crackdown|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-terror-attacks-france-shuts-down-three-mosques-in-security-crackdown-a6757596.html|access-date=7 January 2016|work=[[The Independent]]|date=2 Dec 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151223165049/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-terror-attacks-france-shuts-down-three-mosques-in-security-crackdown-a6757596.html|archive-date=23 December 2015|url-status=live}}</ref> Muslim community leaders widely condemned the Paris attacks in public statements and expressed their support for the French government's attempts to oppose Islamist extremism.<ref name=ibt_25nov2015>{{cite news|title=French Muslim Leaders Want Extremist Mosques Closed, Islamic Preachers To Be Licensed, Following Paris Terror Attacks|url=http://www.ibtimes.com/french-muslim-leaders-want-extremist-mosques-closed-islamic-preachers-be-licensed-2200224|access-date=7 January 2016|work=[[International Business Times]]|date=25 Nov 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127205527/http://www.ibtimes.com/french-muslim-leaders-want-extremist-mosques-closed-islamic-preachers-be-licensed-2200224|archive-date=27 January 2016|url-status=live}}</ref>

Due to the [[November 2015 Paris attacks|deadly attacks in 2015]], France changed the character of Islamist radicalization from a security threat to constitute a societal problem. President [[François Hollande]] and prime minister [[Manuel Valls]] saw the fundamental values of the French republic being challenged and called them attacks against fundamental secular, enlightenment, and democratic values along with "what makes us who we are".<ref name="ispi2018" />{{rp|13–15, 24, 26, 35–36}}

In 2016, French authorities reported that 120 of the 2,500 Islamic prayer halls were disseminating [[salafism|Salafist]] ideas and 20 mosques were closed due to findings of [[hate speech]].<ref name="atlantic_1aug2016">{{cite news|title=France's Disappearing Mosques|url=https://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/french-mosques-islam/493919/|access-date=3 September 2016|publisher=[[The Atlantic]]|date=1 August 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160802200909/http://www.theatlantic.com/news/archive/2016/08/french-mosques-islam/493919/|archive-date=2 August 2016|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, French authorities stated that {{Val|15000}} of the {{Val|20000}} individuals on the [[Fiche "S"|list of security threats]] belong to [[Islamism|Islamist movements]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/09/12/qui-sont-les-15-000-personnes-suivies-pour-radicalisation_4996528_4355770.html|title=Qui sont les 15 000 personnes " suivies pour radicalisation " ?|work=Le Monde.fr|access-date=2018-08-24|language=fr-FR|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180823204455/https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/09/12/qui-sont-les-15-000-personnes-suivies-pour-radicalisation_4996528_4355770.html|archive-date=2018-08-23|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, EU anti-terror coordinator [[Gilles de Kerchove]] estimated there to be 17,000 radicalized Muslims and jihadists living in France.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2017/08/31/59a70a48ca4741f7588b45e4.html|title=El coordinador antiterrorista de la UE: "Lo de Barcelona volverá a pasar, hay 50.000 radicales en Europa"|work=ELMUNDO|access-date=2018-09-09|language=es|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180906021720/http://www.elmundo.es/espana/2017/08/31/59a70a48ca4741f7588b45e4.html|archive-date=2018-09-06|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 2018, French intelligence services monitored around 11,000 individuals with suspected ties to radical Islamism. France has sentenced a large number of individuals for terrorist-related offenses which have increased the [[French Prison Service|prison population]].<ref name="ispi2018">{{Cite book|url=https://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/mediterraneo_def_web.pdf|title=DE-RADICALIZATION IN THE MEDITERRANEAN – Comparing Challenges and Approaches|last=Vidino|display-authors=etal|publisher=ISPI|year=2018|isbn=9788867058198|location=Milano|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180824134942/https://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/mediterraneo_def_web.pdf|archive-date=2018-08-24|url-status=live|access-date=2018-09-07}}</ref>{{rp|25}} This in turn has created an issue with radicalization in French prisons.<ref name="ispi2018" />{{rp|25}}

In February 2019, authorities in Grenoble closed the Al-Kawthar Mosque for six months due to it propagating a "radical Islamist ideology". The Al-Kawthar Mosque had about 400 regular visitors. In several of the sermons, the imam legitimized armed jihad, violence, and hatred towards followers of other religions' anti-republican values and promoted Sharia law.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ledauphine.com/isere-sud/2019/02/05/grenoble-la-mosquee-al-kawthar-fermee-pour-ideologie-islamiste-radicale|title=Grenoble : la mosquée Al-Kawthar fermée sur décision du préfet|website=www.ledauphine.com|date=5 February 2019 |language=FR-fr|access-date=2019-02-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190217142547/https://www.ledauphine.com/isere-sud/2019/02/05/grenoble-la-mosquee-al-kawthar-fermee-pour-ideologie-islamiste-radicale|archive-date=2019-02-17|url-status=live}}</ref>

In November 2019, French authorities closed cafés, schools, and mosques in about 15 neighborhoods due to them disseminating [[political Islam]] and [[Communitarianism|communitarian]] ideas.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2019-11-15 |title=Islamisme politique: écoles et lieux de culte fermés dans une quinzaine de quartiers |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/islamisme-politique-ecoles-et-lieux-de-culte-fermes-dans-une-quinzaine-de-quartiers-20191115 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191125075801/https://www.lefigaro.fr/flash-actu/islamisme-politique-ecoles-et-lieux-de-culte-fermes-dans-une-quinzaine-de-quartiers-20191115 |archive-date=2019-11-25 |access-date=2019-11-25 |website=Le Figaro.fr |language=fr}}</ref>

In October 2020, President [[Emmanuel Macron]] announced a crackdown on "Islamist separatism" in Muslim communities in France, saying a bill with this objective would be sent to parliament in "early 2021." Among the measures, would be a ban on foreign [[imam]]s, restrictions on [[home schooling|homeschooling]], and the creation of an "Institute of Islamology" to tackle [[Islamic fundamentalism]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-macron-separatism/macron-launches-crackdown-on-islamist-separatism-in-muslim-communities-idUKKBN26N20W?il=0 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201003082312/https://uk.reuters.com/article/uk-france-macron-separatism/macron-launches-crackdown-on-islamist-separatism-in-muslim-communities-idUKKBN26N20W?il=0 |url-status=dead |archive-date=October 3, 2020 |title=Macron launches crackdown on 'Islamist separatism' in Muslim communities |website=Reuters |date=2 October 2020 }}</ref> His government introduced a bill that would punish with jail terms and fine any doctor who provides [[virginity]] certificates for traditional, religious marriages. [[ANCIC (organization)|ANCIC]] stated it supported the government's stand against "virginity tests" but warned that in some cases women were in "real danger" and "a ban would simply deny the existence of such community practices, without making them disappear". The association suggested that the issue be "tackled quite differently so that women and men free themselves and reject the weight of [such] traditions."<ref name=tests>{{cite news |date=5 October 2020 |title=France plans punishment for virginity tests|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-54434080 |work=[[BBC]] | access-date=5 October 2020}}</ref> On 16 February 2021, the law passed the lower house 347—151 with 65 abstentions.<ref>{{cite news |title=French MPs approve bill to combat Islamist extremism |url=https://www.france24.com/en/france/20210216-french-mps-approve-bill-to-combat-islamist-extremism |access-date=17 February 2021 |work=France 24 |date=16 February 2021 |language=en}}</ref>

=== Terrorist attacks in France ===
{{Main||Islamic terrorism in Europe}}
{{See also|November 2015 Paris attacks|Terrorism in France}}
France had its first occurrences with religious extremism in the 1980s due to French involvement in the [[Lebanese Civil War]]. In the 1990s, a series of attacks on French soil were executed by the [[Armed Islamic Group of Algeria]] (GIA).

In the 1990–2010 time span, France experienced repeated attacks linked to international jihadist movements.<ref name="ispi2018" />{{rp|13–15, 24, 26, 35–36, 42–43, 48, 62–63, 69–70}} ''[[Le Monde]]'' reported on 26 July 2016 that "Islamist Terrorism" had caused 236 dead in France in the preceding 18-month period.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2016/07/26/le-terrorisme-islamiste-a-fait-236-morts-en-france-en-18-mois_4975000_4355770.html|title=Le terrorisme islamiste a fait 236 morts en France en 18 mois|date=26 July 2016|work=Le Monde|language=fr|quote=De l'attaque de « Charlie Hebdo » et de l'« Hyper casher » en janvier 2015 à la mort du père Jacques Hamel à Saint-Etienne-de-Rouvray, mardi 26 juillet, ce sont 236 personnes qui ont perdu la vie dans des attentats et attaques terroristes|access-date=27 July 2016}}</ref>

In the 2015–2018 timespan in France, 249 people were killed and 928 wounded in a total of 22 terrorist attacks.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/national-today-newsletter-terrorism-implant-registry-rice-1.4939071|title=By the numbers: France's battle against terror |date=12 December 2018|first=Jonathon |last=Gatehouse |publisher=Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190404210321/https://www.cbc.ca/news/thenational/national-today-newsletter-terrorism-implant-registry-rice-1.4939071|archive-date=4 April 2019 |access-date=23 April 2019|quote=22 — the number of terror incidents on French soil since the beginning of 2015. / 249 — the number of dead in those attacks. / 928 — the number of wounded.}}</ref>

The deadly attacks in 2015 in France changed the issue of Islamist radicalization from a security threat to also constitute a social problem. Prime minister [[François Hollande]] and prime minister [[Manuel Valls]] saw the fundamental values of the French republic being challenged and called them attacks against secular, enlightenment and democratic values along with "what makes us who we are".<ref name="ispi2018" />{{rp|13–15, 24, 26, 35–36, 42–43, 48, 62–63, 69–70}}

Although jihadists in the 2015-onward timeframe legitimized their attacks with a narrative of reprisal for France's participation in the international coalition fighting the Islamic State, Islamic terrorism in France has other, deeper and older causes. The main reasons France suffers frequent attacks are, in no particular order:<ref name="FranceThreat">{{Cite web|url=https://english.aivd.nl/publications/publications/2017/12/14/publication-jihadist-women-a-threat-not-to-be-underestimated|title=Jihadist women, a threat not to be underestimated – Publication – pdf|last=Koninkrijksrelaties|first=Ministerie van Binnenlandse Zaken en|date=14 December 2017|publisher=[[AIVD]]|page=5|language=en-GB|access-date=1 December 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181201181028/https://english.aivd.nl/publications/publications/2017/12/14/publication-jihadist-women-a-threat-not-to-be-underestimated|archive-date=1 December 2018|url-status=live}}</ref>
* France's secular domestic policies (''[[Laïcité]]'') which jihadists perceive to be hostile towards Islam. Also, France's status as an officially secular nation and jihadists label France as "the flagship of disbelief".<ref name="FranceThreat" />
* France has a strong cultural tradition in comics, which in the context of Muhammad cartoons is a question of freedom of expression.<ref name="expressen20201104">{{cite web|title=Därför är Frankrike så hårt terrordrabbat|url=https://www.expressen.se/nyheter/darfor-ar-frankrike-sa-hart-terrordrabbat/|access-date=4 November 2020|website=Expressen|date=3 November 2020 |language=sv}}</ref>
* France has a large Muslim minority<ref name="expressen20201104" />
* France's foreign policy towards Muslim countries and jihadist fronts. France is seen as the spearhead directed against jihadist groups in Africa, just as the United States is seen as the main force opposing jihadist groups elsewhere. France's former foreign policies such as that as its colonization of Muslim countries is also brought up in jihadist propaganda, for example, that the influence of French education, culture and political institutions had served to erase the Muslim identity of those colonies and their inhabitants.<ref name=":7h">{{cite journal|last=Bindner|first=Laurence|year=2018|title=Jihadists' Grievance Narratives against France|url=https://icct.nl/publication/jihadists-grievance-narratives-against-france/|journal=Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism Studies|pages=4–8|doi=10.19165/2018.2.01|doi-access=free|url-access=subscription}}</ref>
* Jihadists consider France as a strong proponent of disbelief. For instance, [[Marianne]], the national emblem of France, is considered as "a false idol" by jihadists and the French to be "idol worshippers". France also has no law against blasphemy and an [[Anti-clericalism|anticlerical]] satirical press which is less respectful towards religion than that of the US or the United Kingdom{{dubious|date=April 2024}}. The French nation state is also perceived as an obstacle towards establishing a caliphate.<ref name=":7h" />
In 2020 two Islamic terrorist attacks were foiled by authorities, bringing the total to 33 since 2017 according to [[Laurent Nuñez]], the director of [[National Centre for Counter Terrorism|CNRLT]], who declared that Sunni Islamist terrorism was a prioritised threat. Nuñez drew parallels between the three attacks of 2020 which all were attacks on "blasphemy and the will to avenge their prophet".<ref>{{cite web|title=Terrorisme: deux attentats islamistes déjoués en 2020, 33 depuis 2017|url=https://www.rtl.fr/actu/justice-faits-divers/terrorisme-deux-attentats-islamistes-dejoues-en-2020-33-depuis-2017-7800949425|access-date=10 January 2021|website=RTL.fr|date=3 January 2021 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

==== Germany ====
In the 2015–2020 time span, there were 9 [[Islamic terrorism in Europe|Islamic terrorist attacks]] and thwarted terrorist plots where at least one of the perpetrators had entered Germany as an asylum seeker during the [[European migrant crisis]]. The Islamic terrorists entered Germany either without identity documents or with falsified documents. The number of discovered plots began to decline in 2017. In 2020 German authorities noted that the majority of the asylum seekers entered Germany without identification papers during the crisis and security agencies considered unregulated immigration as problematic from a security aspect.<ref>{{cite web|date=20 July 2020|title=Terroristen "kein Massenphänomen" in der Flüchtlingskrise|url=https://www.merkur.de/politik/terroristen-kein-massenphaenomen-in-fluechtlingskrise-zr-13837730.html|access-date=28 July 2020|website=Merkur.de|language=de}}</ref>

=== Law against Islamist extremism ===
{{See also|Murder of Samuel Paty}}
{{#section-h:Murder of Samuel Paty|Law against Islamist extremism}}

=== Investigation on the Influence of Political Islam ===
In May 2024, the French government initiated an investigation aimed at assessing the influence of political Islam and the Muslim Brotherhood in France. The government delegated this task to two senior officials, diplomat François Gouyette and prefect Pascal Courtade. Their work is anticipated to yield a comprehensive report by the fall of 2024. According to a statement from the Ministry of Interior, this effort is in direct alignment with the context of the Les Mureaux (Yvelines) speech on separatism delivered by Emmanuel Macron in 2020, which later led to the 2021 law on the principles and values of the Republic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le gouvernement demande un rapport sur l'influence de l'islam politique en France |url=https://www.20minutes.fr/politique/4089833-20240506-gouvernement-demande-rapport-influence-islam-politique-france |access-date=2024-05-08 |website=20 Minutes |date=6 May 2024 |language=fr}}</ref>

==Integration==
{{See also|Social situation in the French suburbs}}

===Accepted French citizens===
Notwithstanding the islamist extremists' terrorist attacks in France, including the Charlie Hebdo and Nice terror attacks, some studies have concluded that France is the European country where Muslims integrate the best and feel the most for their country and that French Muslims have the most positive opinions about their fellow citizens of different faiths. A 2006 study from the [[Pew Research Center]] on Integration is one such study.<ref name=allen>{{cite web |url=http://pewresearch.org/pubs/50/the-french-muslim-connection |first=Jodie T. |last=Allen |authorlink=Jodie T. Allen |date=August 17, 2006 |title=The French-Muslim Connection |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100615005418/http://pewresearch.org/pubs/50/the-french-muslim-connection |archive-date=2010-06-15 }}</ref> In Paris and the surrounding [[Île-de-France]] region where French Muslims tend to be more educated and religious, the vast majority rejects violence and say they are loyal to France according to studies by Euro-Islam, a comparative research network on Islam and Muslims in the West sponsored by GSRL Paris/[[Centre national de la recherche scientifique|CNRS France]] and Harvard University.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/city-profiles/paris/ |title=Islam in Paris – Euro-Islam: News and Analysis on Islam in Europe and North America |access-date=2015-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109123424/http://www.euro-islam.info/country-profiles/city-profiles/paris/ |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=dead }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.juancole.com/2015/01/sharpening-contradictions-satirists.html |title=Sharpening Contradictions: Why al-Qaeda attacked Satirists in Paris |date=7 January 2015 |access-date=2015-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109123623/http://www.juancole.com/2015/01/sharpening-contradictions-satirists.html |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=live }}</ref> On the other hand, a 2013 IPSOS survey published by the French daily ''[[Le Monde]]'', indicated that only 26% of French respondents believed that Islam was compatible with French society (compared to 89% identifying Catholicism as compatible and 75% identifying Judaism as compatible).<ref>[http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2013/01/24/la-religion-musulmane-fait-l-objet-d-un-profond-rejet-de-la-part-des-francais_1821698_3224.html?xtmc=ipsos&xtcr=4 Le Monde (''in French''): "La religion musulmane fait l'objet d'un profond rejet de la part des Français"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140417183344/http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2013/01/24/la-religion-musulmane-fait-l-objet-d-un-profond-rejet-de-la-part-des-francais_1821698_3224.html?xtmc=ipsos&xtcr=4 |date=2014-04-17 }} 24 Jan 2013</ref><ref>[http://www.ejpress.org/article/64681 European Jewish Press: "Majority of French consider Islam incompatible with French values"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130131130957/http://www.ejpress.org/article/64681 |date=2013-01-31 }} 27 Jan 2013</ref> A 2014 survey by the Pew Research Center showed that out of all Europeans, the French view Muslim minorities most favorably with 72% having a favorable opinion.<ref name="jr.org">{{cite news | url=http://journalistsresource.org/studies/international/conflicts/france-muslims-terrorism-and-challenges-of-integration-research-roundup | title=France, Islam, terrorism and the challenges of integration: Research roundup | access-date=2015-10-30 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151026195633/http://journalistsresource.org/studies/international/conflicts/france-muslims-terrorism-and-challenges-of-integration-research-roundup | archive-date=2015-10-26 | url-status=dead }} JournalistsResource.org, retrieved Jan. 12, 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/05/12/chapter-4-views-of-roma-muslims-jews/#mixed-views-of-muslim-minorities |title=EU Views of Roma, Muslims, Jews |date=12 May 2014 |access-date=2015-01-09 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150109114144/http://www.pewglobal.org/2014/05/12/chapter-4-views-of-roma-muslims-jews/#mixed-views-of-muslim-minorities |archive-date=2015-01-09 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>Niall McCarthy, [https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/01/08/out-of-all-europeans-the-french-view-muslim-minorities-most-favorably-infographic/?linkId=11618733 ''Out of All Europeans, The French View Muslim Minorities Most Favorably &#91;Infographic&#93;''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180718175234/https://www.forbes.com/sites/niallmccarthy/2015/01/08/out-of-all-europeans-the-french-view-muslim-minorities-most-favorably-infographic/?linkId=11618733 |date=2018-07-18 }} Forbes Jan 8, 2015</ref> Other research has shown how these positive attitudes are not always reflected in popular opinion and the subject of Muslim integration in France is much more nuanced and complex.<ref name=":2" />

In April 2018 an Algerian Muslim woman refused to shake hands with an official for religious reasons at a citizenship ceremony. As an applicant must demonstrate being integrated into society as well as respect for French values, officials considered her not integrated and denied her citizenship application.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.thelocal.fr/20180419/woman-denied-french-nationality-after-refusing-to-shake-officials-hands|title=Woman denied French citizenship for 'refusing to shake official's hand'|date=2018-04-19|access-date=2018-04-21|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180419192738/https://www.thelocal.fr/20180419/woman-denied-french-nationality-after-refusing-to-shake-officials-hands|archive-date=2018-04-19|url-status=live}}</ref>

=== Religiosity ===
According to a poll by [[Institut français d'opinion publique]] in 2020, 46% of Muslims gave the view that their religious beliefs were more important than the values and laws of the French Republic, more than twice the fraction of the French public (17%). Among Muslims under 25 years of age a large majority (74%) considered their religion more important than French laws and values.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Droit au blasphème, caricatures, liberté d'expression… Les Français sont ils encore " Charlie " ?|url=https://www.ifop.com/publication/droit-au-blaspheme-caricatures-liberte-dexpression-les-francais-sont-ils-encore-charlie/|access-date=2020-09-06|website=IFOP|language=fr-FR}}</ref>

=== LGBT acceptance ===
{{Main|LGBT in Islam}}
{{Further|LGBT rights in France}}
The 2009 [[Gallup (company)|Gallup poll]] showed that 35% of the French Muslims believed that homosexuality is morally acceptable.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news| url=https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2009/may/07/muslims-britain-france-germany-homosexuality | location=London | work=The Guardian | first=Riazat | last=Butt | title=Muslims in Britain have zero tolerance of homosexuality, says poll | date=7 April 2021}}</ref>

=== Unemployment ===
In October 2020, the unemployment among Muslims was far higher at 14% than the population at large (8%).<ref>{{Cite web|first=Elizabeth|last=Bryant|website=DW.COM|date=24 October 2020|title=As France mourns slain teacher Samuel Paty, some question secular values|url=https://www.dw.com/en/samuel-paty-france-radical-islam-secularism/a-55383482|access-date=30 October 2020|language=en-GB}}</ref>

=== Education ===
According to a poll by [[Institut Montaigne]] in 2016, 15% of Muslims in France had no academic qualification at all and 25% had less than secondary education ([[Baccalauréat]]). 12% had more than 2 years higher education, a further 20% had more than 2 years.<ref>{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Un islam français est possible / Sommaire (PDF)|url=https://www.institutmontaigne.org/publications/un-islam-francais-est-possible|access-date=2021-01-03|website=Institut Montaigne|language=fr}}</ref> It been estimated that Muslim students form more than 10% of the students in the French [[Catholic schools]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/25/world/europe/25iht-schools.4.16488061.html|title=For French Muslims, a Catholic education|date=25 September 2008|work=The New York Times}}</ref>

===Discrimination===
{{main|Islamophobia in France}}
In 2010, a study entitled ''Are French Muslims Discriminated Against in Their Own Country?'' found that "Muslims sending out resumes in hopes of a job interview had 2.5 times less chance than Christians" with similar credentials "of a positive response to their applications".<ref>{{cite web|title=Study shows French Muslims hit by religious bias|date=26 March 2010|work=[[Otago Daily Times]]|url=http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/99211/study-shows-french-muslims-hit-religious-bias|access-date=2010-04-09|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110608214301/http://www.odt.co.nz/news/world/99211/study-shows-french-muslims-hit-religious-bias|archive-date=8 June 2011|url-status=live}}</ref>

Another example is the 2004 French ban on ostentatious religious signs in public schools for minors, which forced young girls insisting on wearing the hijab in school out of public schools<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Dell’Isola |first=Davide |title=Discrimination against Muslims, the role of networks and terrorist attacks in Western Europe: the cases of United Kingdom, France, and Italy |journal=Italian Political Science Review/Rivista Italiana di Scienza Politica |date=2022 |volume=52 |pages=118–133 |doi=10.1017/ipo.2021.22|doi-access=free }}</ref>

Other examples of discrimination against Muslims include the desecration of 148 French Muslim graves near [[Arras]]. A pig's head was hung from a headstone and profanities insulting Islam and Muslims were daubed on some graves.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7333344.stm French Muslim war graves defaced] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110830232206/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7333344.stm |date=2011-08-30 }}, ''BBC'', 6 April 2008</ref> Destruction and vandalism of Muslim graves in France were seen as Islamophobic by a report of the European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia.<ref>[http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/24/eu.violence/index.html EU reports post-Sept. 11 racism] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090607140731/http://archives.cnn.com/2002/WORLD/europe/05/24/eu.violence/index.html |date=2009-06-07 }} CNN&nbsp;– 24 May 2002</ref> Several of Mosques have also been vandalized in France over the years.<ref>{{cite news|website=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/france/story/0,,1419719,00.html|title=Vandals target Paris mosque|date=22 February 2005}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|title = Desecration of a mosque in France|newspaper = Ennahar Online English|publisher = El Athir For the Press|date = 13 December 2009|url = http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/international/2612.html|access-date = 16 December 2009|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20091215053055/http://www.ennaharonline.com/en/international/2612.html|archive-date = 15 December 2009|url-status = dead}}</ref> On 14 January 2015, it was reported that 26 mosques in France had been subject to attack since the [[Charlie Hebdo shooting]] in Paris.<ref>{{cite news|last1=Stone|first1=Jon|title=Firebombs and pigs heads thrown into mosques as anti-Muslim attacks increase after Paris shootings|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/firebombs-and-pigs-heads-thrown-into-mosques-as-antimuslim-attacks-increase-after-paris-shootings-9977423.html|access-date=22 January 2015|publisher=independent.co.uk|date=14 January 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150121153454/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/firebombs-and-pigs-heads-thrown-into-mosques-as-antimuslim-attacks-increase-after-paris-shootings-9977423.html|archive-date=21 January 2015|url-status=live}}</ref>

On 29 June 2017, a man who had schizophrenia attempted to ram his vehicle into a crowd of worshipers exiting a mosque in [[Créteil]],<ref>{{cite web|work=Agence France|title=8 wounded in France mosque shooting, not terrorism—prosecutor|date=3 July 2017|url=http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/910481/8-wounded-in-france-mosque-shooting-not-terrorism-prosecutor|access-date=2018-04-28|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180428093749/http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/910481/8-wounded-in-france-mosque-shooting-not-terrorism-prosecutor|archive-date=2018-04-28|url-status=live}}</ref> a suburb of Paris, though no one was injured. Le Parisien claims the suspect, of [[Armenians|Armenian]] origin, wanted to "avenge the Bataclan and Champs-Elysées" attacks.<ref>Tom Batchelor. [https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-mosque-incident-attack-car-muslims-cr-teil-man-arrested-police-a7815641.html Paris mosque incident: Man tries to ram car into crowd of Muslim worshippers, police say] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170822174247/http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-mosque-incident-attack-car-muslims-cr-teil-man-arrested-police-a7815641.html |date=2017-08-22 }}. Independent. 29 June 2017.</ref>

In 2019, The French Institute for Public Research (IFOP) conducted the study from August 29 to September 18, based on a sample of 1007 Muslims aged 15 and above.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286313/france-muslim-population-discrimination/|title=Nearly Half of France's Muslim Population Experience Discrimination|last=Guessous|first=Hamza|date=2019-11-07|website=Morocco World News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111032605/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286313/france-muslim-population-discrimination/|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref> According to the study, 40% of Muslims in France felt that they were discriminated against.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/11/10/world/europe/10reuters-france-religion.html|title=Thousands March in Paris Against Islamophobia After Attackagency=Reuters|date=2019-11-10|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-11|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111023753/https://www.nytimes.com/reuters/2019/11/10/world/europe/10reuters-france-religion.html|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.voanews.com/europe/thousands-protest-islamophobia-france|title=Thousands Protest Islamophobia in France|website=Voice of America|date=10 November 2019 |language=en|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111012307/https://www.voanews.com/europe/thousands-protest-islamophobia-france|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://euobserver.com/tickers/146535|title=[Ticker] 42% of French Muslims experienced discrimination|website=EUobserver|language=en|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111032604/https://euobserver.com/tickers/146535|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref> More than a third of these instances were recorded in the past five years, suggesting an increase in the overall mistreatment of Muslims in France over recent years.<ref name=":12">{{Cite web|url=https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/8/nearly-50-percent-of-french-muslims-have-experienced-discrimination|title=Nearly half of French Muslims report being discriminated against based on their religionwork=The New Arab| work=alaraby |date = 8 November 2019|language=en|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111022855/https://www.alaraby.co.uk/english/news/2019/11/8/nearly-50-percent-of-french-muslims-have-experienced-discrimination|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref> The survey found that 60% of women wearing a headscarf were subject to discrimination.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286544/muslims-france-islamophobia/|title=Muslims, Activists in France Want to March Against Islamophobia|last=Kasraoui|first=Safaa|date=2019-11-10|website=Morocco World News|language=en-US|access-date=2019-11-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111032612/https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2019/11/286544/muslims-france-islamophobia/|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref> 37% of Muslims in France have been a victim of verbal harassment or defamatory insults.<ref name=":02" /> The study, however, revealed that 44% of Muslim women who do not wear headscarves found themselves being a victim of verbal harassment or defamatory insults.<ref name=":02" /> The survey found that 13% of incidents of religious discrimination happened at police control points and 17% happened at job interviews.<ref name=":02" /> 14% of incidents occurred while the victims were looking to rent or buy accommodation.<ref name=":02" /> The IFOP stated that 24% of Muslims were exposed to verbal aggression during their lifetime, compared to 9% among non-Muslims.<ref name=":02" /> In addition, 7% of Muslims were physically attacked, compared to 3% of non-Muslims.<ref name=":12" />

In 2019, according to the French Ministry of Interior, 154 anti-religious acts targeted Muslims, while those targeting Jews stood at 687, and those against Christians was 1,052. Most of these acts consisted of vandalism of "property of a religious nature."<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/Archives/Archives-ministres-de-l-Interieur/Archives-Laurent-Nunez/Communiques/Statistiques-2019-des-actes-antireligieux-antisemites-racistes-et-xenophobes|title = Statistiques 2019 des actes antireligieux, antisémites, racistes et xénophobes}}</ref>

=== Public opinion ===
A February 2017 poll of 10 000 people in 10 European countries by [[Chatham House]] found on average a majority (55%) were opposed to further Muslim immigration, with opposition especially pronounced in Austria, Poland, Hungary, France and Belgium. Except for Poland, all of those had recently suffered jihadist terror attacks or been at the center of a refugee crisis.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration|title=What Do Europeans Think About Muslim Immigration?|work=Chatham House|access-date=2018-09-28|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180310181445/https://www.chathamhouse.org/expert/comment/what-do-europeans-think-about-muslim-immigration|archive-date=2018-03-10|url-status=live}}</ref> A survey published in 2019 by the [[Pew Research Center]] found that 72% of French respondents had a favorable view of Muslims in their country, whereas 22% had an unfavourable view.<ref>{{cite news |title=European Public Opinion Three Decades After the Fall of Communism — 6. Minority groups |url=https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/10/14/minority-groups/ |work=Pew Research Center |date=14 October 2019 |access-date=3 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191022072452/https://www.pewresearch.org/global/2019/10/14/minority-groups/ |archive-date=22 October 2019 |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Repercussions===
The [[2005 French riots]] have been controversially<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://riotsfrance.ssrc.org/Roy/ |title=The Nature of the French Riots |quote=The bulk of the rioters are second generation migrants, but, if we consider the names of the arrested people, it is more ethnically mixed than one could have expected (beyond the second generation with a Muslim background—mainly North Africans, plus some Turks and Africans—there are also many non-Muslim Africans as well as people with French, Spanish or Portuguese names). The rioters are French citizens (only around 7% of the arrested people are foreigners, usually residents). [...]the religious dimension is conspicuously absent from the riots. This is not a revolt of the Muslims. |publisher=Olivier Roy, Social Science Research Council |date=November 2005 |access-date=19 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110720085030/http://riotsfrance.ssrc.org/Roy/ |archive-date=20 July 2011 |url-status=dead }}</ref> interpreted as an illustration of the difficulty of integrating Muslims in France, and smaller-scale riots have been occurring throughout the 1980s and 1990s, first in [[Vaulx-en-Velin]] in 1979, and in [[Vénissieux]] in 1981, 1983, 1990 and 1999.

Furthermore, although Interior Minister [[Nicolas Sarkozy]] claimed that most rioters were immigrants and already known to the police, the majority were, in fact, previously unknown to the police.<ref>''[http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/societe/20051117.OBS5654/decryptage-du-profildes-emeutiers.html Les magistrats constatent après trois semaines de violences que les auteurs interpellés sont très majoritairement des primo-délinquants.]'', nouvelobs.com, 2005-11-19</ref><ref>''[http://www.liberation.fr/evenement/010164335-sarkozy-dementi-par-les-faits-un-an-apres Sarkozy démenti par les faits un an après] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120928190220/http://www.liberation.fr/evenement/010164335-sarkozy-dementi-par-les-faits-un-an-apres |date=2012-09-28 }}'', liberation.fr, 2006-10-24</ref>

In 2014, an analysis by [[The Washington Post]] showed that between 60 and 70% of the prison population in France are Muslim or come from Muslim backgrounds while Muslims constitute 12% of the population of France.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/28/ST2008042802857.html|title=In France, Prisons Filled With Muslims|last=Moore|first=Molly|newspaper=The Washington Post|access-date=2017-09-05|language=en-US|issn=0190-8286|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170902024913/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/story/2008/04/28/ST2008042802857.html|archive-date=2017-09-02|url-status=live}}</ref> The claims in this article have been refuted: the headline figure was based on research in 4 Paris and north regions prisons out of a total 188 by Professor Farhad Khosrovkhavar later said his best estimate was 40–50%, but that data is not recorded by French authorities.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|url=https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/are-70-of-frances-prison-inmates-muslims|title=Are 70% of France's prison inmates Muslims?|work=Factcheck by the Adam Smith Institute|access-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180923235458/https://www.adamsmith.org/blog/are-70-of-frances-prison-inmates-muslims|archive-date=2018-09-23|url-status=live}}</ref> Statistics on ethnicity and religion are banned in France.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":0" /> In 2013, 18,300 (27%) of the 67,700 French prison population registered for [[Ramadan]], an indication of their religious affiliation.<ref name=":0">{{Cite news|url=https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/le-vrai-du-faux/60-des-detenus-francais-sont-musulmans_1770701.html|title=60% of French prisoners are Muslims?|work=Factcheck by francetvinfo.fr|access-date=2018-09-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181202153201/https://www.francetvinfo.fr/replay-radio/le-vrai-du-faux/60-des-detenus-francais-sont-musulmans_1770701.html|archive-date=2018-12-02|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Hijab===
{{Further|French law on secularity and conspicuous religious symbols in schools|Islamic scarf controversy in France}}
The wearing of ''[[hijab]]'' in France has been a very controversial issue since 1989. The debate essentially concerns whether Muslim girls who choose to wear hijab may do so in state schools. A secondary issue is how to protect the free choice and other rights of young Muslim women who do not want the veil, but who may face strong pressure from families or some traditionalists. Similar issues exist for civil servants and the acceptance of male Muslim medics in medical services.

In 1994, the French Ministry for Education sent out recommendations to teachers and headmasters to ban the veil in educational institutions. According to a 2019 study by the Institute of Labor Economics, more girls with a Muslim background born after 1980 graduated from high school after the 1994 restrictions were introduced. While secularism is often criticized for restricting freedom of religion, the study suggested that "public schools ended up promoting the educational empowerment of some of the most disadvantaged groups of female students".<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://newsroom.iza.org/en/archive/research/effects-of-banning-the-islamic-veil-in-public-schools/|title=Effects of banning the Islamic veil in public schools|website=newsroom.iza.org|access-date=2019-12-27|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191227130642/https://newsroom.iza.org/en/archive/research/effects-of-banning-the-islamic-veil-in-public-schools/|archive-date=2019-12-27|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Leila Babes in her book "The Veil Demystified", believe that wearing the veil does not derive from a Muslim religious imperative.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/801791.html |title='This is my strength' – Haaretz – Israel News |access-date=2008-08-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070127160345/http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/801791.html |archive-date=2007-01-27 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The French government and a large majority of public opinion are opposed to the wearing of a "conspicuous" sign of religious expression (dress or symbol), whatever the religion, as this is incompatible with the French system of ''[[laïcité]]''. In December 2003, President Jacques Chirac said that it breaches the separation of church and state and would increase tensions in France's multicultural society, whose Muslim and Jewish populations are both the biggest of their kind in Western Europe.

The issue of Muslim hijabs has sparked controversy after several girls refused to uncover their heads in class, as early as 1989. In October 1989, three Muslim schoolgirls wearing the Islamic headscarf were expelled from the ''collège Gabriel-Havez'' in Creil (north of Paris). In November, the First [[Council of State (France)|Conseil d'État]] ruling affirmed that the wearing of the Islamic headscarf, as a symbol of [[freedom of religious expression]], in public schools was not incompatible with the French school system and the system of ''[[laïcité]]''. In December, a first ministerial circular (''circulaire Jospin'') was published, stating teachers had to decide on a case-by-case basis whether to ban the wearing of Islamic headscarves.

In January 1990, three schoolgirls were expelled from the ''collège Pasteur'' in Noyon, north of Paris. The parents of one expelled schoolgirl filed a defamation action against the principal of the ''collège Gabriel-Havez'' in Creil. As a result, the teachers of a ''collège'' in Nantua (eastern part of France, just to the west of Geneva, Switzerland) went on [[Strike action|strike]] to protest the wearing of the Islamic headscarf in school. A second ministerial circular was published in October, to restate the need to respect the principle of ''[[laïcité]]'' in public schools.

In September 1994, a third ministerial circular (''circulaire Bayrou'') was published, making a distinction between "discreet" [[symbol]]s to be tolerated in public schools, and "ostentatious" symbols, including the Islamic headscarf, to be banned from public schools. In October, some students demonstrated at the ''lycée Saint Exupéry'' in [[Mantes-la-Jolie]] (northwest of Paris) to support the freedom to wear Islamic headscarves in school. In November, approximately twenty-four veiled schoolgirls were expelled from the ''lycée Saint Exupéry'' in Mantes-la-Jolie and the ''lycée Faidherbe'' in [[Lille]].

In December 2003, President Chirac decided that the law should prohibit the wearing of visible religious signs in schools, according to ''[[laïcité]]'' requirements. The law was approved by parliament in March 2004. Items prohibited by this law include hijabs, Jewish [[yarmulke]]s, or large Christian [[cross]]es.<ref name="georgetown1">{{cite web|url=http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |title=France |publisher=[[Berkley Center for Religion, Peace, and World Affairs]] |access-date=2011-12-14 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110206213909/http://berkleycenter.georgetown.edu/resources/countries/france |archive-date=2011-02-06 }} See drop-down essay on "Contemporary Affairs"</ref> It is still permissible to wear discreet symbols of [[faith]] such as small crosses, [[Star of David|Stars of David]], or [[Fatima's hand]]s.

Two French journalists working in Iraq, Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot were taken hostage by the "Islamic Army in Iraq" (an Iraqi resistance militant movement) under accusations of spying. Threats to kill the two journalists if the law on headscarves was not revoked were published on the Internet by groups claiming to be the "Islamic Army in Iraq". The two journalists were later released unharmed.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D17781%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |title=UNESCO Welcomes Release of French Journalists Christian Chesnot and Georges Malbrunot |access-date=2019-12-31 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160824042409/http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID%3D17781%26URL_DO%3DDO_TOPIC%26URL_SECTION%3D201.html |archive-date=2016-08-24 |url-status=live }}</ref>

The arguments resurfaced when, on 22 June 2009, at the ''Congrès de Versailles'', President Nicolas Sarkozy declared that the Islamic burqa is not welcome in France, claiming that the full-length, body-covering gown was a symbol of subservience that suppresses women's identities and turns them into "prisoners behind a screen." A parliamentary commission of thirty-two deputies led by [[André Gerin]] (PCF), was also formed to study the possibility of banning the public wearing of the burqa or niqab.<ref>{{Cite news |url=http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2009/07/02/du-voile-a-l-ecole-au-port-de-la-burqa-dans-l-espace-public-le-debat-a-change_1214388_3224.html |title=Du voile à l'école au port de la burqa dans l'espace public, le débat a changé |access-date=2009-07-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090703012102/http://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2009/07/02/du-voile-a-l-ecole-au-port-de-la-burqa-dans-l-espace-public-le-debat-a-change_1214388_3224.html |archive-date=2009-07-03 |url-status=live |newspaper=Le Monde.fr |date=2009-07-02 }}</ref> There is suspicion, however, that Sarkozy is "playing politics in a time of economic unhappiness and social anxiety."<ref name="nytimes.com">{{Cite news |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/world/europe/01france.html |title=Burqa Furor Scrambles French Politics |access-date=2017-02-24 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921201811/https://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/01/world/europe/01france.html?em |archive-date=2018-09-21 |url-status=live |newspaper=The New York Times |date=2009-08-31 |last1=Erlanger |first1=Steven }}</ref>

A Muslim group spokesman expressed serious concern over the proposed legislation, noting that "even if they ban the burqa, it will not stop there," adding that "there is a permanent demand for legislating against Muslims. This could go really bad, and I'm scared of it. I feel like they're turning the screws on us."<ref name="nytimes.com"/>

On 25 January 2010 it was announced that the parliamentary committee, having concluded its study, would recommend that a ban on veils covering the face in public locations such as hospitals and schools be enacted, but not in private buildings or on the street.<ref>{{Cite web | url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna35064478 | title=French panel: Ban veils in public facilities| website=[[NBC News]]| date=2010-01-26}}</ref>

In February 2019, Decathlon, Europe's largest sports retailer, announced plans to begin selling a [[sports hijab]] in their stores in France. Decathlon had begun selling the product in Morocco the previous week, but the plan was criticized on social media, with several politicians expressing discomfort with the product being sold. Decathlon originally stood firm, arguing it was focused on "democratizing" sports. The company released a statement saying its goal was to "offer them a suitable sports product, without judging." While Nike had already sold hijabs in France, Decathlon was met with much more scrutiny. Multiple salespeople were threatened physically in stores. The company also received hundreds of calls and emails in regard to the product. Decathlon was forced to backtrack and has since halted its plans to sell the sports hijab. Many throughout France were left disappointed with one Muslim entrepreneur, who didn't consider selling sport hijabs, stating, "it's a shame that Decathlon didn't stand firm."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/world/europe/france-sports-hijab-decathlon.html|title=A Sports Hijab Has France Debating the Muslim Veil, Again|last1=Peltier|first1=Elian|date=2019-02-28|work=The New York Times|access-date=2019-11-11|last2=Breeden|first2=Aurelien|language=en-US|issn=0362-4331|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191111021441/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/28/world/europe/france-sports-hijab-decathlon.html|archive-date=2019-11-11|url-status=live}}</ref>

===Politics===
Formal as well as informal Muslim organizations help the new French citizens to integrate. Several political parties like Parti égalité et Justice have now appeared. Their most frequent activities are homework help and language classes in Arabic, ping pong, Muslim discussion groups etc. are also common. However, most important associations active in assisting with the immigration process are either secular (GISTI, for example) or [[ecumenist]] (such as the [[protestant]]-founded [[Cimade]]).

The most important national institution is the CFCM (''Conseil Français du Culte Musulman'') this institution was designed on the model of the "Consistoire Juif de France" and of the "Fédération protestante de France" both Napoleonic creations. The aim of the CFCM (like its Jewish and protestant counterparts) is to discuss religious problem with the state, participate in certain public institutions, and organize the religious life of French Muslims. The CFCM is elected by the French Muslims through local election. It is the only official instance of the French Muslims.

There were four organizations represented in the CFCM elected in 2003, GMP (Grande mosquée de Paris), UOIF (Union des organizations islamiques de France), FNMF (Fédération nationale des musulmans de France) CCMTF (Comité de coordination des musulmans Turcs de France). In 2008 a new council was elected. The winner was RMF (Rassemblement des musulmans de France) with a large majority of the votes, followed by the UOIF and the CCMTF. It is a very broad and young organization and there is a beginning of consensus on major issues. Other elections took place since then, the latest was due in 2019 but is still pending.

Other organizations exist, such as PCM (Muslim Participation and Spirituality), which combine political mobilization (against racism, sexism etc.) and spiritual meetings, and put emphasis on the need to get involved in French society&nbsp;– by joining organizations, registering to vote, working with your children's schools etc. They do not have clear-cut political positions as such but push for active citizenship. They are vaguely on the left in practice.

The government has yet to formulate an official policy towards making integration easier. As mentioned above, it is difficult to determine in France who may be called a Muslim. Some Muslims in France describe themselves as "non-practicing". Most simply observe ''Ramadan'' and other basic rules but are otherwise secular.

==Statistics==
Due to a law dating from 1872, the French Republic prohibits performing census by making distinction between its citizens regarding their race or their beliefs. However, that law does not concern surveys and polls, which are free to ask those questions if they wish. The law also allows for an exception for public institutions such as [[Institut national d'études démographiques|INED]] or [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]] whose job it is to collect data on demographics, social trends and other related subjects, on condition that the collection of such data has been authorized by the [[Commission nationale de l'informatique et des libertés|CNIL]] and the National Council of Statistical Information ({{Interlanguage link|Conseil national de l'information statistique|fr|3=Conseil national de l'information statistique|lt=CNIS|vertical-align=sup}}).

===Estimations based on declaration===
Surveys from INED and the INSEE in October 2010 concluded that France has 2.1&nbsp;million "declared Muslims".<ref name="plus.lefigaro.fr">Michael Cosgrove, [http://plus.lefigaro.fr/note/how-does-france-count-its-muslim-population-20110407-435643 ''How does France count its Muslim population?''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171010074044/http://plus.lefigaro.fr/note/how-does-france-count-its-muslim-population-20110407-435643 |date=2017-10-10 }}, [[Le Figaro]], April 2011.</ref>

In 2023, Muslims made up 10% of the French adult population, according to INSEE.<ref name="insee.fr">{{Cite web |title=Religious diversity in France: intergenerational transmissions and practices by origins − Immigrants and descendants of immigrants {{!}} Insee |url=https://www.insee.fr/en/statistiques/7342918?sommaire=7344042 |access-date=2023-07-02 |website=www.insee.fr}}</ref>

===Estimations based on people's geographic origin===
In 1960, there was approximately 400,000 Muslims in France, corresponding to 0.9% of the population at the time.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Waughray |first=Vernon |date=1960 |title=The French Racial Scene: North African Immigrants in France |url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/030639686000200105 |journal=Race |language=en |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=60–70 |doi=10.1177/030639686000200105 |issn=0033-7277|url-access=subscription }}</ref> In 1975, the estimated number of Muslims was above 1 million.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Farmer |first=Brian R. |url=https://archive.org/details/radicalislaminwe0000farm |title=Radical Islam in the West : ideology and challenge |date=2011 |publisher=Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland & Co. |others=Internet Archive |isbn=978-0-7864-5953-7 |quote=By 1975, the Muslim population in France was estimated to be in excess of one million persons.}}</ref>

According to the [[Government of France|French Government]], which does not have the right to ask direct questions about religion and uses a criterion of people's geographic origin as a basis for calculation, there were between 3 and 3.2&nbsp;million Muslims in metropolitan France in 2010. Thirteen years later, the proportion of Muslims in France rose to 10%, according to [[Institut national de la statistique et des études économiques|INSEE]].<ref name="insee.fr"/>

The government counted all those people in France who migrated from countries with a dominant Muslim population, or whose parents did.

The [[United States Department of State]] placed it at roughly 10%,<ref>[https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm Background Note: France] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190525024821/https://2009-2017.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/3842.htm |date=2019-05-25 }}, U.S. Department of State, December 10, 2009. See also "There are an estimated 5 million to 6 million Muslims (8 to 10 percent of the population), although estimates of how many of these are practicing vary widely." in ''[https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108446.htm 2008 Report on International Religious Freedom] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191017084151/https://2001-2009.state.gov/g/drl/rls/irf/2008/108446.htm |date=2019-10-17 }}'', U.S. Department of State, September 2008; {{cite book|title=Western Civilization: Beyond Boundaries|first1=Thomas F. X.|last1=Noble|first2=Barry|last2=Strauss|first3=Duane J.|last3=Osheim|first4=Kristen B.|last4=Neuschel|first5=Elinor A.|last5=Accampo|first6=David D.|last6=Roberts|first7=William B.|last7=Cohen|author-link2=Barry S. Strauss|publisher=Wadsworth Cengage Learning|isbn=978-0-495-90072-6|location=Boston|year=2009|edition=6th|page=?}}</ref> while two 2007 polls estimated it at about 3% of the total population.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.ifop.com/europe/docs/religions_geo.pdf#page=7 Ifop] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080910203255/http://www.ifop.com/europe/docs/religions_geo.pdf#page=7 |date=2008-09-10 }}, [http://www.tns-sofres.com/etudes/pol/050407_religion.htm Sofres]( {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081126122828/http://www.tns-sofres.com/etudes/pol/050407_religion.htm |date=2008-11-26 }}), [http://www.20minutes.fr/articles/2007/02/28/20070228-actualite-france-Croyants-et-athees-ou-habitent-ils-en-France.php Croyants et athées, où habitent-ils en France?] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070302170827/http://www.20minutes.fr/articles/2007/02/28/20070228-actualite-france-Croyants-et-athees-ou-habitent-ils-en-France.php |date=2007-03-02 }}</ref> The [[CIA World Factbook]] places it at 7–9%.<ref>[https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/france/ CIA&nbsp;– The World Factbook&nbsp;– France] .</ref>

A [[Pew Forum]] study, published in January 2011, estimated 4.7&nbsp;million Muslims in France in 2010 (and forecasted 6.9&nbsp;million in 2030).<ref name="Pew2011">{{Cite web |url=http://www.pewforum.org/The-Future-of-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx |title=The Future of the Global Muslim Population |date=27 January 2011 |access-date=2011-02-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130723032443/http://www.pewforum.org/The-Future-of-the-Global-Muslim-Population.aspx |archive-date=2013-07-23 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to a 2023 report, by the INED-[[INSEE]] 91% of those who were raised in Muslim families in France follow the same religion and faith of their parents.<ref>{{Cite web |title=France, immigration strengthens Muslim presence |url=https://newdailycompass.com/en/france-immigration-strengthens-muslim-presence |access-date=2024-09-15 |website=newdailycompass.com |language=en}}</ref>


The French polling company [[IFOP]] estimated in 2016 that French Muslims number between 3 and 4 million and criticized suggestions of a significant demographic religious slide (the so-called [[Great Replacement conspiracy theory]], {{langx|fr|grand remplacement|link=no}}). IFOP claims that they make up 5.6% of those older than 15, and 10% of those younger than 25.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/Religion/Religion-famille-societe-qui-sont-vraiment-les-musulmans-de-France-810217 |title=Religion, famille, société : Qui sont vraiment les musulmans de France |access-date=2016-09-18 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160919133551/http://www.lejdd.fr/Societe/Religion/Religion-famille-societe-qui-sont-vraiment-les-musulmans-de-France-810217 |archive-date=2016-09-19 |url-status=live }}</ref> According to an IFOP survey for the newspaper ''La Croix'' in 2011, based on a combination of previous surveys, 75% of people from families ''"of Muslim origin"'' {{sic}} said they were believers. This is more than the previous study in 2007 (71%) but less than the one before 2001 (78%). This variation, caused by the declarative aspect of the survey, illustrates the difficulty of establishing precisely the number of believers.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2015-01-21|title=Quel est le poids de l'islam en France ?|language=fr|work=Le Monde.fr|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/les-decodeurs/article/2015/01/21/que-pese-l-islam-en-france_4559859_4355770.html|access-date=2020-08-27}}</ref> According to the same survey 155 of those surveyed who had at-least one Muslim parent 84.8% identified as Muslims, 3.4% identified as Christians, 10.0% identified as [[not religious]] and 1.3% belonged to other religions.<ref name="2016Montaigne-IFOP">{{cite web|url=http://www.institutmontaigne.org/res/files/publications/a-french-islam-is-possible-report.pdf|title=A French Islam is possible|date=2016|publisher=Institut Montaigne|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915201551/http://www.institutmontaigne.org/res/files/publications/a-french-islam-is-possible-report.pdf|archive-date=15 September 2017|page=13}}</ref>

An [[Interior ministry]] source in ''l'Islam dans la République'' published the following estimated distribution of Muslims by Alain Boyer by affiliated countries in 1999:<ref>[http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/rapports-publics/014000017/index.shtml L'Islam dans la République – La Documentation française] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130228010738/http://www.ladocumentationfrancaise.fr/rapports-publics/014000017/index.shtml |date=2013-02-28 }}, Haut conseil à l'intégration, 2000, p.26</ref>
{| class=wikitable style="margin-left: 3em"
|-
| [[Algeria]] || align=right | 1,550,000
|-
| [[Moroccan diaspora|Morocco]] || align=right | 1,000,000
|-
| [[Tunisia]] || align=right | 350,000
|-
| [[Turkey]] || align=right | 315,000
|-
| [[Sub-Saharan Africa]] || align=right | 250,000
|-
| Middle East || align=right | 100,000
|-
| remaining Asia (mostly [[Pakistan]] and [[Bangladesh]]) || align=right | 100,000
|-
| [[Religious conversion#Islam|Convert]]s || align=right | 40,000
|-
| [[Illegal immigrants]] or awaiting regularization|| align=right | 350,000
|-
| Other || align=right | 100,000
|-
| Total || align=right | '''4,155,000'''
|}

In 2008, thirty-nine percent of Muslims surveyed by the polling group IFOP said they observed Islam's five prayers daily, a steady rise from 31 percent in 1994, according to the study published in the Catholic daily La Croix.<ref name=":32"/>

Mosque attendance for Friday prayers has risen to 23 percent, in 2008 up from 16 percent in 1994, while in 2008 Ramadan observance has reached 70 percent compared to 60 percent in 1994, it said. Drinking alcohol, which Islam forbids, has also declined to 34 percent from 39 percent in 1994, according to the survey of 537 people of Muslim origin.<ref name=":32"/>

A 2015 study found that up to 12,000 French Muslims [[converted to Christianity]], but cited that this number may be underestimated, and it may include only Protestant converts.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Johnstone|first1=Patrick|last2=Miller|first2=Duane Alexander|title=Believers in Christ from a Muslim Background: A Global Census|journal=Interdisciplinary Journal of Research on Religion|date=2015|volume=11|page=8|url=https://www.academia.edu/16338087|access-date=30 October 2015}}</ref>

According to {{Interlanguage link|Michèle Tribalat|fr}}, a researcher at [[INED]], an acceptance of 5 to 6 million Muslims in France in 1999 was overestimated. Her work has shown that there were 3.7&nbsp;million people of "possible Muslim faith" in France in 1999 (6.3% of the total population of [[Metropolitan France]]).<ref name="express">{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.lexpress.fr/info/societe/dossier/mosquees/dossier.asp?ida=415633 Les vrais chiffres] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060107205505/http://www.lexpress.fr/info/societe/dossier/mosquees/dossier.asp?ida=415633 |date=2006-01-07 }} by Gilbert Charles and Besma Lahouri, [[L'Express (France)|L'Express]], 2003-04-12; see also {{in lang|en}} Michèle Tribalat, ''[http://www.thesocialcontract.com/artman2/publish/tsc1402/article_1210_printer.shtml Counting France's Numbers—Deflating the Numbers Inflation] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080830080337/http://www.thesocialcontract.com/artman2/publish/tsc1402/article_1210_printer.shtml |date=2008-08-30 }}'', [[The Social Contract Press|The Social Contract Journal]], vol. 14.2, Winter 2003–2004</ref> In 2009, she estimated that the number of people of the Muslim faith in France was about 4.5&nbsp;million.<ref>Michèle Tribalat, ''[http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2011/10/13/l-islam-reste-une-menace_1587160_3232.html Michèle Tribalat : "L'islam reste une menace"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111115105623/http://www.lemonde.fr/idees/article/2011/10/13/l-islam-reste-une-menace_1587160_3232.html|date=2011-11-15}}'', [[Le Monde]], 13 octobre 2011</ref>

According to [[Jean-Paul Gourévitch]], there were 8.5&nbsp;million of Muslim origin (about 1/8 of the population), in metropolitan France in 2017.<ref>Jean-Paul Gourévitch, ''Les véritables enjeux des migrations'', Éditions du Rocher, 2017, {{p.|111}}</ref><ref>Jean-Paul Gourévitch, ''La croisade islamiste'', Pascal Galodé, 2011, p.136</ref><ref name="Jean-Paul Gourévitch p.362">Jean-Paul Gourévitch, ''Les migrations en Europe'' p.362, Acropole, 2007, {{ISBN|978-2-7357-0267-1}}; see also [[National Front (France)|Front National]]'s estimate of 6 to 8 million Muslims quoted in Jonathan Laurence and [[Justin Vaïsse]], ''Intégrer l'Islam'', [https://books.google.com/books?id=jYZJHyMe9yEC&pg=PA35 p.35] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160426222427/https://books.google.com/books?id=jYZJHyMe9yEC&pg=PA35 |date=2016-04-26 }}, Odile Jacob, 2007, {{ISBN|978-2-7381-1900-1}}</ref>

In 2017, François Héran, former Head of the Population Surveys Branch at [[INSEE]] and Director of [[INED]] (French National Institute for Demographic Research) between 1999 and 2009, stated that about one eighth of the French population was of Muslim origin in 2017 (8.4&nbsp;million).<ref>Fançois Héran, ''Avec l'immigration: Mesurer, débattre, agir'', La Découverte, 2017, p.20</ref>

According to the latest Special Eurobarometer 493 (2019) the Muslim population in France is estimated to be 5% or 3.35 million.<ref name="ec.europa.eu">{{Cite web |title=Eurobarometer |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/instruments/SPECIAL/surveyKy/2251}}</ref>

[[Pew Research Center]] predicts the Muslim population would rise to 8.6&nbsp;million or 12.7 percent of the country in 2050 with zero immigration, and 13.2&nbsp;million or 18.0 percent with high immigration.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thelocal.fr/20171201/how-frances-muslim-population-will-grow-in-the-future|first=Evie|last=Burrows-Taylor|title=How France's Muslim population will grow in the future|date=1 December 2017|website=www.thelocal.fr|access-date=30 October 2020}}</ref>

=== Converts ===
In 2013, [[The New York Times]] quoted Bernard Godard, a former French intelligence official specializing in Islamic affairs and back then associated with the country's [[Interior Ministry (France)|Interior Ministry]], who estimated France's total Muslim population to be 6 million out of which 100,000 were converts (up from 50,000 in 1986) while Muslim associations talk of 200,000.<ref>{{Cite web |last=de la Baume |first=Maïa |date=3 February 2013 |title=More in France Are Turning to Islam, Challenging a Nation's Idea of Itself |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/world/europe/rise-of-islamic-converts-challenges-france.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240622011846/https://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/04/world/europe/rise-of-islamic-converts-challenges-france.html |archive-date=22 June 2024 |website=[[The New York Times]]}}</ref>

=== Muslim–Jewish relations ===
{{Further|Antisemitism in France|Antisemitism in Islam}}
A survey by the [[Pew Research Center]] in 2006 in Germany, France, Great Britain and Spain showed that 71% of French Muslims had a positive view of their fellow Jewish citizens, the highest percentage of positive sentiment, the only majority expressed positively among all the European Muslims polled in Europe and a French exception. A majority of Muslims in France also did not support the [[Hamas]] (46% negative vs. 44% positive answers to the question: "Is Hamas' victory good for Palestinians?") and 71% of respondents did not approve of [[Iran]] acquiring [[nuclear weapons]]. This Muslim-Jewish solidarity in France can be partially explained by the fact that a high percentage of both populations share origins in the [[Maghreb]] and the effects of French ''laïcité'' on ''vivre-ensemble'' (i.e "living-together") in shared civil institutional spaces remaining religiously and politically neutral for all.<ref name=allen/>

==French Muslims==
{{main category| French Muslims}}

===Athletes===
[[File:Zinedine Zidane by Tasnim 03.jpg|thumb|right|[[Zinedine Zidane]], prominent football player]]
[[File:Franck Ribery 2019 (cropped).jpg|thumb|right|Football player [[Franck Ribery]]]]
* [[Nicolas Anelka]], football player, convert
* [[Hatem Ben Arfa]], football player
* [[Karim Benzema]], football player
* [[Wissam Ben Yedder]], football player
* [[N'Golo Kante]], football player
* [[Houssem Aouar]], football player
* [[Nabil Fekir]], football player
* [[Mohamed Haouas]], international rugby player
* [[Samir Nasri]], football player
* [[Paul Pogba]], football player, convert
* [[Adil Rami]], football player
* [[Swan Rebbadj]], international rugby union player
* [[Franck Ribéry]], football player, convert
* [[Mamadou Sakho]], football player
* [[Moussa Sissoko]], football player
* [[Rabah Slimani]], rugby player (both loose head and tight head prop) for [[Stade Français]] and in the [[French national rugby union team]], highest paid French player<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ruck.co.uk/magazine-unveils-highest-earners-top-14/ |title=French magazine unveils the HIGHEST earners in the Top 14 |access-date=2017-06-23 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180921123905/https://www.ruck.co.uk/magazine-unveils-highest-earners-top-14/ |archive-date=2018-09-21 |url-status=live |date=2017-05-02 }}</ref>
* [[Zinedine Zidane]], football player
* [[Ousmane Dembele]], football player
* [[Benjamin Mendy]], football player
* [[Bacary Sagna]], football player
* [[Djibril Sidibé (footballer, born 1992)|Djibril Sidibe]], football player
* [[Cédric Doumbé]] MMA fighter, convert

===Arts===
* [[Nasreddine Dinet]], painter

====Actors====
* [[Leïla Bekhti]], award-winning film and television actress, [[L'Oréal]] ambassador
* [[Assaad Bouab]], French-Moroccan actor of [[Call My Agent!]] fame
* [[Sami Bouajila]], award-winning actor, recipient of two [[César Awards]]
* [[Rachida Brakni]], award-winning actress, [[Comédie française]] member, wife of [[Eric Cantona]]
* [[Jamel Debbouze]], award-winning actor and stand-up comedian, producer, philanthropist, husband of TV journalist and producer [[Mélissa Theuriau]]
* [[Kheiron]], Iranian-born French comedian, actor and film director
* [[Sabrina Ouazani]], actress of [[The Hook Up Plan]] and [[Games of Love and Chance]] fame
* [[Tahar Rahim]], multiple [[César Award]]-winning actor, [[Oscars]], [[BAFTA]] and [[Golden Globe]] nominee
* [[Omar Sy]], award-winning actor, first ever Black winner of the [[César Award for Best Actor]] in 2012
* [[Roschdy Zem]], award-winning actor and director

====Singers====
[[File:Kery James - Rennes 2008.jpg|thumb|right|[[Hip hop music|Hip hop]] artist [[Kery James]]]]
* [[Kery James]], Guadeloupe-born hip hop artist, convert
* [[Soprano (rapper)|Soprano]]
* [[Médine (rapper)|Médine]]
* [[Kaaris]], convert
* [[Sadek (rapper)|Sadek]], convert

===Politicians===
* [[Fadela Amara]], social worker and feminist activist, former government minister
* [[Kader Arif]], politician, former government minister and current member of the [[European Parliament]]
* [[Azouz Begag]], [[Légion d'Honneur]] recipient, researcher in economics and sociology, former government minister
* [[Rachida Dati]], lawyer, former Minister of Justice, current Minister of Culture
* [[Mounir Mahjoubi]], technologist, businessman, current Secretary of State for Digital Affairs (came out as gay in 2018).
* [[Rama Yade]], politician, former government minister.

===Academics and writers===
* [[Yasmine Belkaid]], immunologist, current president of the [[Pasteur Institute]]
* [[Ghaleb Bencheikh]], scientist
* [[Jean-Louis Michon]], writer and translator
* [[Louis du Couret]], explorer, military officer, and writer
* [[Frantz Fanon]], philosopher, psychiatrist, writer
* [[René Guénon]], author and intellectual
* [[Roger Garaudy]], author and philosopher
* [[Christian Bonaud]], author and philosopher

===Business people===
* [[Mohed Altrad]], businessman, rugby chairman and writer.
* [[Mourad Boudjellal]], businessman, founder of [[Soleil Productions]] comic publishing and [[Sport management|sport manager]].

===Religious figures===
* [[Kahina Bahloul]] French [[imam]] (first female imam in France) and [[Islamic studies|Islamic academic]], advocate for [[Islamic modernism|modernist reforms in Islam]].
* [[Dalil Boubakeur]], physician, rector of [[Great Mosque of Paris]]
* [[Si Kaddour Benghabrit]], founder of the [[Great Mosque of Paris]], WW2 resistant, interfaith helper and candidate to official title of [[Righteous among the Nations]].

===Television===
* [[Rachid Arhab]], journalist, member of [[Conseil supérieur de l'audiovisuel]]
* [[Nagui]], long-standing French tv and radio personality, numerous "France's #1 preferred TV host" surveys topper

==See also==
{{Portal|Islam|France}}
<!--
* [[Religion in Europe]]
* [[Freedom of religion in Europe]]
*[[Islam in Europe]]
*[[Religion in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Freedom of religion in the United Kingdom]]
*[[Islam in the United Kingdom]]
-->
*[[Demographics of France]]
*[[Religion in France]]
*[[Freedom of religion in France]]
*[[Islam in Marseille]]
*[[Islam in Besançon]]
*[[Franco-Ottoman alliance]]
*[[Turks in France]]
*[[Immigration to Besançon]]

==References==
{{Reflist|32em}}

==Further reading==
* Davidson, Naomi. ''Only Muslim: Embodying Islam in Twentieth-Century France'' (Cornell University Press, 2012)
* Katz, Ethan B. ''The Burdens of Brotherhood: Jews and Muslims from North Africa to France'' (Harvard University Press, 2015)
* Mandel, Maud S. ''Muslims and Jews in France: History of a Conflict'' (Princeton University Press; 2014) 253 pages; scholarly history of conflicts since 1948; special attention to Marseilles and to the impact of French decolonization in North Africa.
* Motadel, David. "The Making of Muslim Communities in Western Europe, 1914–1939." in by Götz Nordbruch and Umar Ryad, eds., ''Transnational Islam in Interwar Europe: Muslim Activists and Thinkers'' (2014) ch 1.
* Murray-Miller, Gavin. "A Conflicted Sense of Nationality: Napoleon III's Arab Kingdom and the Paradoxes of French Multiculturalism." ''French Colonial History'' 15#1 (2014): 1–37.
* Rootham, Esther. "Embodying Islam and laïcité: young French Muslim women at work." ''Gender, Place & Culture'' (2014): 1–16.
* Scheck, Raffael. ''French Colonial Soldiers in German Captivity During World War II'' (Cambridge University Press, 2014)
* Zwilling, Anne-Laure. "A century of mosques in France: building religious pluralism." ''International Review of Sociology'' 25#2 (2015): 333–340.
*{{cite news|last1=Ragazzi|first1=Francesco|last2=Tawfik|first2=Amal|last3=Perret|first3=Sarah|last4=Davidshofer|first4=Stephan|title="Séparatisme": et si la politique antiterroriste faisait fausse route ?|url=https://theconversation.com/separatisme-et-si-la-politique-antiterroriste-faisait-fausse-route-149078|agency=The Conversation|date=9 November 2020|access-date=30 January 2021|df=dmy-all}}

==External links==
{{commons category}}
{{wikiquote}}
*[http://www.migrationinformation.org/Feature/display.cfm?id=153 French Muslims, Government Grapple With Integration Pains]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20010926110902/http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,176139,00.html Fighting Terrorism: Lessons From France]
* [http://www.euro-islam.info/2013/01/23/the-numbers-of-french-muslims-and-muslims-in-france-are-exaggerated/ ''The numbers of French Muslims and Muslims in France are exaggerated''] euro-islam.info 12 January 2013
* [http://bibliobs.nouvelobs.com/essais/20121220.OBS3294/on-exagere-deliberement-le-nombre-de-musulmans-en-france.html]
*[http://www.english.rfi.fr/france/20100526-sarkozy-and-burka France's burka bill&nbsp;– background], [[Radio France Internationale]] in English

{{Islam in Europe}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Islam in France| ]]
[[Category:Islam by country|France]]