France probes 'criminal intent' after blaze at mosque

Authorities in France have launched a probe after a mosque in the north of the country was completely burned to the ground.

The blaze struck a mosque in the city of Rambouillet and authorities suspected possible criminal intent behind the incident.

The fire started on Saturday at the Rambouillet mosque in the north of Ile de France, according to local media reports. 

Over 15 firefighters were called to attend to the blaze, but none could stop the fire from spreading to the whole building.

Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said in a tweet that he had "launched an investigation into the cause of the fire."

Local French media said efforts have now been put into finding an alternative facility for the area’s local Muslim community to continue their worship elsewhere while the mosque is rebuilt.

The mosque was built in 2009 to accommodate the Muslim community in the municipality of Rambouillet. The incident comes amid a rise in Islamophobic attacks in France, where far-right extremism has seen a spike.

The Rambouille mosque was only built 13 years prior to the fire, as local numbers of Muslim residents increased. 

“It was the only place we had to pray,” said one shocked local visitor to the mosque speaking to le Parisien. 

“I was so frightened, I thought it must have been a gas explosion,” said another. 

France has been home to the largest Muslim population in Europe for many decades, but many French Muslims feel public opinion and political rhetoric go hand in hand to build a climate of islamophobia. 

For years, the country has implemented laws designed to protect its strict form of secularism, known as “laicité,” which President Emmanuel Macron has said is under threat from Islamism.

In 2020 alone, Islamophobic attacks in France increased by 53%.

Some Muslim associations and human-rights groups allege those laws have targeted Muslims and chipped away at democratic protections and left them vulnerable to abuse.