Kermiche Nassera

Nassera Kermiche is the mother of Adel Kermiche, one of the two young jihadists responsible for the murder of Father Jacques Hamel on 26 July 2016 in the church of Saint-Étienne-du-Rouvray, in Normandy. Following the attack, which deeply shocked France and Europe, Nassera Kermiche suddenly found herself at the centre of public attention as the mother of one of the perpetrators of the terrorist attack.

Of Franco-Algerian origin, she has spoken over the years about the ordeal her family endured during her son’s radicalisation, emphasising that she had sought help from the French authorities on several occasions following Adel Kermiche’s attempts to travel to Syria to join Islamic State.

Since 2017, she has embarked on an intense personal and spiritual journey alongside Roselyne Hamel, the sister of the murdered priest. Their meeting, initially marked by grief and a plea for forgiveness, has over time evolved into a relationship of dialogue and reconciliation, recounted in the book *Sœurs de douleur*, published in 2025. Both have taken part in public meetings, testimonies and initiatives dedicated to peace, the prevention of radicalisation and dialogue between cultures and religions.