Paris' top Islamic official angrily denounced the war in Iraq, which he said showed the "brutal and inhumane" side of America and could serve as a rallying point for Islamic extremism in France.
Dalil Boubakeur, rector of the Paris Mosque, told Le Figaro newspaper in an interview published Monday that he was "extremely nervous" about the consequences of the U.S.-led war against Iraq.
"We have opened a Pandora's box," he was quoted as saying. "Because of the American policy, Islamism has found a new legitimacy."
France is home to some 5 million Muslims, making Islam the second religion of France after Roman Catholicism.
"The rise of a more militant Islam could be a consequence of the war," Boubakeur said, adding that certain youths in the Islamic community have already begun "proclaiming their will to fight."
Boubakeur described the war in Iraq as the "the crushing of a people, of humanity," which he said "has made us discover the brutal and inhumane face of America."
Boubakeur said he doubted that "manifestations of hostility" would target French interests because of President Jacques Chirac's efforts to avoid war except as a last resort.
"But animosity could turn against American interests," he said.