Latest news with #Hichem
LeMonde
2 days ago
- Politics
- LeMonde
'The climate is toxic, especially on TV': French Muslims express their dismay during Eid
The young man's name was Hicham: "Almost like Hichem, the Tunisian who was murdered last weekend… It really makes you think." Hicham, age 36, worked in construction and wore a qamis, the traditional Arab attire that many Muslims don for the holiday. He did not want to give his last name (as was the case for others referred to by their first name), which is also "a sign," he said. "In the current climate, it's not a good idea to expose yourself," he added, standing a few steps from the Al-Hashimi mosque in Saint-Ouen-sur-Seine, north of Paris, where he had come to pray for Eid al-Adha on Friday, June 6. The city's mayor, the Socialist Karim Bouamrane, attended the third morning prayer. "He spoke about Hichem [Miraoui, a Tunisian killed on May 31 in Puget-sur-Argens by a neighbor, Christophe Belgembe, who has been indicted for terrorist murder]," Hicham recounted. "He condemned this hatred. It's a way of showing a bit of consideration and it feels good, we feel less alone. Because otherwise, we don't really know which side the government is on." On the day of Eid, which fell on a Friday this year, the day of the large weekly prayer, it was difficult to ignore the "climate" Hicham described. The racist and anti-Muslim attack in Puget-sur-Argens followed the murder of Aboubakar Cissé, who was stabbed on April 25 inside the mosque of La Grand-Combe, in southern France. "I think about it when I come to pray," confirmed Fanta Bamba, 41, accompanied by four of her five children. "The women's prayer area upstairs is partitioned off, so if we hear an unusual noise, we get scared."
The Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Sister of Tunisian man killed in France demands justice
TUNIS: The sister of a Tunisian man shot dead in France called for justice on Tuesday, saying her brother was on a video call with family when he was killed. Hichem Miraoui, 46, was killed on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in southern France when a neighbour shot him five times. 'I want justice for my brother, the victim of a terrorist act,' Hanen Miraoui said in a telephone call from France, where she lives. She urged Tunisian authorities to 'stand by Tunisians in France and closely follow the case so that justice is done for my brother'. She said Hichem was in a video call with family, including their mother in Tunisia, when he was shot. 'We were discussing Eid preparations,' she said. 'He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended.' The suspect, now in police custody, had posted two racist videos online and intended to 'disturb public order through terror', a source close to the investigation told AFP. French authorities said he had also wounded another neighbour, a Turkish national. France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed a suspect had been detained on Monday. Hanen said the suspect 'was known in my brother's neighbourhood for his hatred of Arabs'. She said six weeks before his death, Hichem found graffiti on his Vespa reading 'dirty Arab'. He will be buried in their hometown of Kairouan in central Tunisia, she added. Tunisian Interior Minister Khaled Nouri condemned the killing in a phone call with his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, calling it a 'terrorist' act. He said it caused 'deep outrage and sorrow among the Tunisian public' and stressed 'the need to protect the Tunisian community in France'.
The Sun
5 days ago
- General
- The Sun
Tunisian Man Killed in France, Family Seeks Justice
TUNIS: The sister of a Tunisian man shot dead in France called for justice on Tuesday, saying her brother was on a video call with family when he was killed. Hichem Miraoui, 46, was killed on Saturday in Puget-sur-Argens in southern France when a neighbour shot him five times. 'I want justice for my brother, the victim of a terrorist act,' Hanen Miraoui said in a telephone call from France, where she lives. She urged Tunisian authorities to 'stand by Tunisians in France and closely follow the case so that justice is done for my brother'. She said Hichem was in a video call with family, including their mother in Tunisia, when he was shot. 'We were discussing Eid preparations,' she said. 'He was joking with our sick mother when I heard him grunt and the call ended.' The suspect, now in police custody, had posted two racist videos online and intended to 'disturb public order through terror', a source close to the investigation told AFP. French authorities said he had also wounded another neighbour, a Turkish national. France's national anti-terrorism prosecutor confirmed a suspect had been detained on Monday. Hanen said the suspect 'was known in my brother's neighbourhood for his hatred of Arabs'. She said six weeks before his death, Hichem found graffiti on his Vespa reading 'dirty Arab'. He will be buried in their hometown of Kairouan in central Tunisia, she added. Tunisian Interior Minister Khaled Nouri condemned the killing in a phone call with his French counterpart Bruno Retailleau, calling it a 'terrorist' act. He said it caused 'deep outrage and sorrow among the Tunisian public' and stressed 'the need to protect the Tunisian community in France'.
