Feature: French Muslims fear reprisals after Charlie Hebdo attacks

Despite calls for a return to normalcy after the Charlie Hebdo and Jewish supermarket tragedy earlier this month, France's Muslims are bracing themselves for reprisals.

Mourad Ben Azizi, a French national of Tunisian origin, wondered "how Muslims will go on living normally in a country where Muslims are believed to be behind all the violence and attacks in France."

Mourad fears his sons may be subject to racist reactions at school and that the Paris shootings will further fuel Islamophobia in France.

To Imane Toumi, a student of international trade, hateful remarks towards Muslims are to be expected after the Paris shootings.

"Even if people do not say it openly, deep down they think that we Muslims are the root cause of terrorism, extremism and all related wrongdoings following the irresponsible acts by a few in the name of Islam," she told Xinhua.

"Once again, they (the shooters) argued their attack was to defend Islam and our Prophet. Once again, they were defending their version of Islam by presenting a wrong picture of our religion and because of that we could risk our lives or even our jobs," Imane added.

Dozens of attacks on mosques were reported across France since Cherif and Said Kouachi killed 12 people in an attack on the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo's headquarters to "avenge" the publication of cartoons mocking the Prophet Mohammad.

Cherif has reportedly confessed he was funded by al-Qaeda Yemen. His associate Amedy Coulibaly killed a policewoman and four others at a Jewish supermarket in Paris. The 32-year-old unveiled his links with Islamic State in a short interview with the news channel BFMTV broadcast after his death.

Following the tragedy, Dalil Boukaker, the rector of the Great Mosque of Paris, issued a statement saying he was "worried about anti-Muslims acts and called on authorities to be vigilant to ensure the safety of mosques."

French President Francois Hollande tried to reassure the Muslim community by stressing, "Muslims are the first victims of fanaticism, fundamentalism and intolerance."

"Islam is compatible with democracy and we should refuse any confusion (about this)," he added. Endit