A guest and Yasmine Bourzegan Marzouk at the ceremony in Paris on Monday. Photograph: WITT/SIPA/Rex/Shutterstock

Source: The Guardian

Yasmine Bouzegan Marzouk lost three family members in the truck attack in July and spoke at a national ceremony in tribute to French victims of terrorist attacks

A young French Muslim woman who lost three family members in the 14 July jihadi attack on Nice made an impassioned plea on Monday not to confuse the Islamic faith with terrorism.

Yasmine Bouzegan Marzouk, 21, told a national ceremony in tribute to the French victims of terror attacks that they were carried out by “barbarians who do not follow the law, faith or religion”.

“On July 14, this national holiday, our lives were changed forever,” she added, her voice breaking with emotion as tears streamed down her face.

“We are from a Muslim family and no one should make the link (between Islam and the attacks),” she said.

Bouzegan Marzouk, who herself survived the attack, recalled how one of her relatives, 13-year-old Mehdi Hachadi, was crushed under the wheels of the truck that sped through the crowd on the Nice waterfront.

“The life of a child who had such a promising future was snatched away. He was brought up in the Muslim faith, which says we should respect others and show tolerance,” she said.

The truck was driven by Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel, a Tunisian whom the Islamic State group said was one of its followers.

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