Muslim man shows solidarity with Paris victims
A young Muslim holds placards during a gathering at Le Carillon restaurant, one of the sites of the attacks in Paris Getty

Hundreds of British Muslim groups and mosques have come together to condemn the Paris attacks that killed 129 people on 13 November. The Muslim Council of Britain (MCB) issued an advertisement in the Telegraph on 18 November, in which it "condemned the Paris attacks unreservedly".

The ad is said to have been a joint effort of more than 300 British mosques and Muslim community groups. The advert took up a full page in the national paper and outlined four points that the Muslim community wished to relay in light of the terrorist attacks carried out by Islamic State (IS).

The advert read: "We offer our condolences to the victims and their families. The barbaric acts of Daesh (or Isis, as they are sometimes known) have no sanction in the religion of Islam, which forbids terrorism and the targeting of innocents."

The coalition of Muslim groups also pointed out that Muslims had been holding vigils and donating blood for the victims of the attacks. The advert also said that IS terrorists did not represent them, but rather, their faith was made up of people like Zouheir, the Muslim security guard at Stade de France who "risked his life to stop the attackers" from entering the stadium. The attackers were forced to detonate their explosives outside the stadium instead, drastically reducing the risk to lives.

The advert displayed an image of the Eiffel Tower and the headline Terror in Paris. MCB called for people to remain united in the wake of the attacks, reminding people that the aim of the attacks was to "turn communities against each other". "As Muslims, Britons and Europeans, we must stand together to make sure they do not succeed," the advert said.

Dr Shuja Shafi, secretary general of the MCB, said: "The advert aims to highlight how Muslims everywhere have consistently and without reservation spoken out against terror. It is important that our fellow Britons hear this message loud and clearly."

Muslims across the globe have been facing increased criticism in the aftermath of the Paris attacks. On 16 November, three days after the terror attack, the hashtag #NotInMyName began trending on Twitter as Muslims attempted to distance themselves further from IS.

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