The Collective against Islamophobia in France recorded a significant increase in anti-Muslim incidents from 2010 to 2013. In 2010, there were 188 incidents. This number rose to 298 in 2011, 469 in 2012, and 691 in 2013. What explains the upsurge? The increase was likely due to the intense political campaign against face veils that led the French Parliament to approve a ban on them in 2010.

QUESTION: The causal link between political rhetoric and discriminatory incident reporting is worth examining more closely — correlations with media coverage, policy cycles, and reporting culture could deepen the picture.

Green, Todd H, The Fear of Islam_ An Intro…, loc. 596