The Muslims were responding to a call by the French Muslim council CFCM to show their “solidarity and compassion” over the priest’s murder on Tuesday. “It’s an occasion to show (Muslims) that we do not confuse Islam with Islamism, Muslim with jihadist,” said Reverend Jean Rouet. A Catholic monk welcomes Muslim worshippers in the Saint-Pierre-de-l’Ariane church, prior to a mass in Nice on Sunday. The Notre Dame church in southwestern Bordeaux also welcomed a Muslim delegation, led by the city’s top imam Tareq Oubrou. In addition to prompting fears of fanning religious tensions in the officially secular country, Father Hamel’s murder sparked renewed recriminations over perceived security lapses.

Source: The Local July 31, 2016 13:18 UTC