Days after a 47-year-old history teacher named Samuel Paty was beheaded by a radical Islamist in Paris, the video that motivated the terrorist to execute the gruesome attack has now come to light.
Paty was killed on October 16 by 18-year-old radical Islamist named Abdoullakh Abouyezidovitch A in the Paris suburb of Conflans-Sainte-Honorine for showcasing cartoons of Prophet Mohammed to his students at College du Bois d’Aulne. The terrorist had also uploaded the gory pictures of the murder on Twitter, before being shot dead by the French police.
In the video shared on Facebook, Brahim Chnina, an Islamic preacher and father of a girl in Paty’s class, can be seen standing outside the College du Bois d’Aulne and giving a call to fellow Muslims to mobilise against the teacher. Referring to Samuel Paty as a ‘thug’, the man claimed that the actions of the teacher (to show ‘blasphemous’ cartoons to students) was in response to a ‘direct’ call by French French Emmanuel Macron to hate, combat and stigmatise Muslims.
Details of the contentious video
He complained that the school authorities did not let him in and that the principal was in a meeting for 45 minutes, leaving him stranded in cold. Brahim then talked to his 13-year-old daughter who claimed that Samuel Paty asked all Muslim students to raise their hands during the history class on Islam. “We raised our hands, and he said: I am going to show you a picture that might shock you. So, if you want, you can leave the room,” she claimed.
The girl nevertheless insisted to remain in the room, She alleged, “It was a picture of Prophet Mohammed without his clothes on. We were all shocked, even those who weren’t Muslims were also shocked… Since I expressed (my displeasure), he excluded me from classes for 2 days. He doesn’t like us (Muslims)… He wants to humiliate us in front of the others.” The girl further claimed that she did not want to go to class if ‘such’ things are shown in school.
Online campaign wanted to stop the ‘thug’ teacher
Brahim Chnina inquired, “What was the message that he wanted to give to those children? Why a teacher is behaving like this in front of 13 year old children?” Calling upon fellow Muslims to mobilise against the teacher, he warned, “In my opinion, he (Samuel Paty) had been doing this for several years… The thug cannot stay in the national education system, he cannot continue educating children.” The man then shared his number and asked all those who ‘disagree’ with the teacher’s actions to message him.
Brahim Chnina was also joined, in his online campaign to get Paty fired, by a Muslim cleric, Imam Abdelhakim Sefrioui. The cleric informed that they had met the administration on behalf of the Council of French Imams. He claimed that the school administration was not shocked about Samuel Paty’s actions, except for the female school principal. The cleric alleged that such things have been happening in France for the past 5-6 years where minor children are exposed to such blasphemous content. He said that the school found ‘no problem’ with the way Samuel Paty taught in class.
The cleric along with Brahim demanded the resignation of the ‘thug’ for undermining the ‘psychological integrity’ of children. He recounted, “At the end of conversation, we understood that nothing us going to happen with this institution… Indeed we left from there with a strong resolve to mobilise for an action before this institution and the Academic Inspector…. If we ever accept this, tomorrow we might get to what happened in Srebrenica, what happened in Yugoslavia.” Sefrioui also asked all parents to remain vigilant, in anticipation of future such instances.
France clampdowns on mosque which incited Muslims against Samuel Paty
It was earlier reported that a local mosque (La Grande Mosquée de Pantin) was a part of a vicious online campaign to get Samuel Paty fired from his job. Although the mosque did not give away personal details of the deceased teacher, it was allegedly a part of the mobilisation campaign that eventually lead to the gruesome crime.
The mosque had urged its 1500 worshippers to share the video of the father of one 13-year-old Muslim girl, wherein he had called for action against Samuel Paty. Following the barbarian act, the mosque pulled down the video and express ‘regret’ for sharing it. However, the French government is in no mood to let them off the hook.
On Tuesday, the government announced that the mosque will be shut down for 6 months, starting from Wednesday night. Earlier, Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had directed the closure of the mosque and warned, “not a minute’s respite for enemies of the Republic…”
Victim to be awarded highest order of merit
On Tuesday morning, French Education Minister Jean-Michel Blanquer announced during an interview with BFM TV that the deceased teacher would be bestowed with the honour. At the same time, a national ceremony will be held on Wednesday in Samuel Paty’s honour at Sorbonne University in Paris.
