The Current

After Paris attacks, Muslim residents in Clichy-sous-Bois face heightened scrutiny

Mohammed is 25 and Muslim, a first-generation French citizen living in a poor Paris suburb. Many say Clichy-sous-Bois breeds radicalized jihadis. Except Mohammed says that's not him. In a marginalized community on the edge of Paris, some are weary of those who are wary.
Mohammed lives Clichy sous bois, a largely immigrant suburb in Paris. He says it is very difficult to be Muslim in France because so many people have bad information about Islam.
"In France, it is very, very difficult to be Muslim because there are so many people that have bad information about Islam."- Mohammed who lives in Clichy-sous-Bois, suburb in Paris

Mohammed is 25.  He dresses all in black and rides a motorcycle.

He is a a first-generation French citizen living in the Paris suburb, Clichy-sous-Bois.

He's also a Muslim.

Clichy-sous-Bois is largely an immigrant suburb of Paris where the 2005 protests began.

Bouna Traore (R) and Zyed Benna, two local teenagers died while running away from police in Clichy-sous-Bois, on October 27, 2005. A three-week wave of riots erupted afterwards across France. (Joel Safet/AFP/Getty Images)

Clichy-sous-Bois often gets blamed for radicalization, a suburb that many say breeds dangerous jihadis.

Except Mohammed points out that's not him and he has no sympathy for that view. He shared his thoughts with Anna Maria. 

Mustafa who is French, and also lives in Clichy-sous-Bois, agrees. He spoke through a translator with Anna Maria to elaborate. 

Clichy-sous-Bois is in the eastern suburbs of Paris, France. (Dominique Faget/AFP/Getty Images)

Police in both France and Belgium pushed into several poor, predominantly immigrant neighbourhoods in the last few days in raids, looking for suspects they believe aided in Fridays terror attacks. There have been arrests on both sides of the border.

The calls for greater security and more robust military action have been echoing across Europe and through NATO countries.

But Michael Privot points out that even with the military action and the security of the last decade, we have seen an increasing number of young people embrace jihadist ideologies.  

Michael Privot is the Director of ENAR - the European Network Against Racism.  His work focuses on radicalization within Muslim communities.  He was in Brussels.
 

This segment was produced by The Current's Lara O'Brien in Paris.