Muslim footballers lead France to victory amid country's Islamophobia

On Sunday, France took home the FIFA World Cup Trophy - a first in 20 years - beating Croatia with a 4-2 score. 

As football fans celebrated France's long-awaited victory, social media users had a different objective. 

France's Islamophobic rhetoric and double standards soon became the topic of discussion, as many reminded the world that France's national team includes seven Muslim players who excelled during the final game.

In many countries across Europe, "Muslims will be cheered on and championed if they are exceptional, entertain and advance national interests," one Twitter user wrote. 

But, when one Muslim commits a crime, all 1.8 billion followers of Islam are blamed, shamed, and lumped into a pool of murderous thugs.

French-Muslim footballer Paul Pogba - who was awarded the Best Young Player Award during the 2014 World Cup - turned heads after scoring a goal during the tournament.

A photo of him alongside Muslim footballer Djibril Sidibé performing a prostration of gratitude (Sajdah Al Shukr) soon made the rounds online.

Other Muslim footballers in France's national team include Adil Rami, Benjamin Mendy, N’Golo Kanté, Nabil Fekir, and Ousmane Dembélé. 

In the wake of the world's largest refugee crisis since World War II, the prominence of ISIS in the global consciousness and far-right nationalist movements, the Arab and Muslim world have become the primary targets of Western politicians. 

Europe's far-right leaders have manifested their Islamophobic positions on many occasions. 

In fact, France's Marine Le Pen - who launched a second bid to become President of France in 2017 - went on trial in 2015 for an anti-Muslim hate speech.

In a 2010 rally, Le Pen compared Muslims praying to Nazi occupation. The court, however, acquitted her of the charges.

She has been a vocal opponent of the hijab and niqab in France, as well as advocating restrictions on halal meat and criticizing prayer rooms in work places.

In 2017, she drew significant media attention after refusing to wear a headscarf to meet the Grand Mufti of Lebanon, during a visit to the country. 

In 2011 and 2015, Le Pen was ranked among the most influential people by Time 100.

In 2016, Le Pen was named second-most influential MEP in the European Parliament by Politico.

France has often been seen as intolerant of conservative Muslim traditions. 

The country banned students from wearing any religious symbols in public schools back in 2004. The niqab was later banned from being worn in public places in 2011. 

Unlike many in French politics, the country's president, Emmanuel Macron, has not come against Muslim attire including the hijab or burkini.

Prior to becoming president, Macron said France had made a mistake in unfairly targeting Muslims, suggesting the country needs to be less firm in enforcing secularism.

"No religion is a problem in France today," he said at a rally in 2016. "If the state should be neutral, which is at the heart of secularism, we have a duty to let everybody practice their religion with dignity."

Still, Islamophobia has taken a toll on Muslim citizens in France numerous times in recent years.

In 2016, French Riviera mayors imposed a burkini ban in several towns including Cannes, Fréjus, Villeneuve-Loubet, and Roquebrune-Cap-Martin. 

The ban was later overruled by the country's top administrative court as it was deemed to be a "violation of fundamental liberties."

During the same time, four armed French policemen approached a woman on a beach in Nice, forcing the woman to remove the modest piece of clothing.

That wasn't the only case following the court ruling. 

In 2017, a Muslim woman wore a burkini to swim at a private residence in Marseille, a port city in the south of France ... then got asked to pay for pool cleaning. 

This year, an Arab woman was denied French citizenship after refusing to shake the hand of a senior official during a naturalization ceremony.