French newspaper 'Le Parisien' this week reported that politician Jean-Pierre Chevènement advised Muslims to lay low.
“The advice I give them [Muslims] in these difficult times … is that of discretion," he said.
France, a country that strongly adheres to the principle of secularism known as 'laïcité', has passed a number of laws regarding Islamic attire in recent years, including the 2011 decision to ban full-face veils, and three recent decisions by local politicians to
Chevènement's comment inspired Twitter users to share the hashtag #MusulmanDiscret (#DiscreetMuslims) to ridicule it.
One user has posted a GIF of Harry Potter donning an invisibility cloak while another dressed up as Christian figure Santa.
“Don’t say ‘I’m wearing a burkini',” one user chimed in. “Say ‘I am an avid diver'”, as another ribbed: "What? A prayer rug at my house. No, it's just that I'm a fan of Aladdin."
France has fallen victim to a series of terrorist attacks over the past two years, which has prompted criticism of the government’s security measures.
In January 2015, two brothers killed 11 and injured 11 others at the office of controversial magazine 'Charlie Hebdo'.
Paris was then struck by a number of terrorist attacks on November 13, 2015, which killed 130 people and injured about 370 others.
Most recently, in July 2016, a man in a truck ran down crowds celebrating Bastille Day, killing 85 and injuring 307.
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