A Moroccan magazine has said it chose to depict French President François Hollande as Hitler on its cover in order to draw attention to escalating anti-Muslim acts in France.
The weekly Al Watan Al An published the picture with a photoshopped Hollande sporting a Hitleresque moustache and swastika armband.
“Will the French do to Muslims what the Nazis did to Jews?” Al Watan Al An asked on the cover.
Contacted by FRANCE 24, the editor of the magazine said he did not regret the comparison between the two men.
“I chose this photomontage myself and I fully assume responsibility for it,” Abderrahim Ariri said. “Since the Paris attacks I have received many emails from fellow Moroccan Muslims who live in France and who tell me they are living through hell.
“They are in danger… I want to send a strong message to French authorities. I want François Hollande to step up security for Muslims, for their places of worship. If not, there could be abuses,” Ariri added.
According to France’s National Observatory of Islamophobia, 128 anti-Muslim acts were recorded across France in the two weeks that followed the massacre perpetrated by gunman at the offices of the Islamophobic, racist weekly Charlie Hebdo – as many incidents recorded by the rights group all of last year.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
Brothers Chérif and Saïd Kouachi claimed they had avenged the Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), a frequent target of Charlie Hebdo’s past satire, as they fled the crime scene.
Two subsequent attacks were perpetrated over the next two days by an associate of the Kouachi brothers, killing another police officer and four Jewish citizens.
Muslim leaders in France and abroad were quick to denounce the bloodbath and join in massive unity rallies across the country in the days following the shootings.
Hollande and Prime Minister Manuel Valls have denounced attacks on Muslims in France, sending police and soldiers to protect some mosques and Muslim community centres.
