'My name is Jihad and I am a bomb'

French officials condemn a shocking message on a 3-year-old’s shirt

A French woman is slated to face charges of “apologie de crime,” which can be translated as advocating violence, after sending her 3-year-old son, Jihad, to kindergarten dressed in a T-shirt bearing the inscriptions “I am a bomb” on the front and “Jihad. Born September 11” on the back.

The incident took place on September 25 in the town of Sorgues, in the district of Avignon, southern France, but has only been reported now. The divorced woman’s brother, who allegedly supplied the offensive shirt, is set to face charges together with his sister. According to the French daily Le Figaro, the two were remanded in custody awaiting their trial, which was set for December 19.

According to reports, when the kindergarten teacher noticed the message on the clothing, she gave the child another shirt to put atop the offensive garment, and notified the authorities.

Local officials confirmed the child’s identity and date of birth.

According to the Avignon prosecutor Bernard Marchal, the mother “was very surprised by the reaction” to the incident, which she called a “provocation,” and said she did not expect the case would “assume such proportions.” He noted that neither the child’s mother nor his uncle were identified as radical Islamists.

Sorgues mayor Thierry Lagneau condemned the incident as “incitement to hatred and terrorism.”

According to JTA, there has been a 45 percent increase in anti-Semitic attacks in France in 2012 compared to last year.