CAIRO – Correcting the image of Islam against rising Islamophobia, a group of volunteers and a Jordanian filmmaker have produced a short French film about the merits of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) as a mercy to mankind.

Titled La Miséricorde, or Mercy, the film “sheds a light on the intellectual journey of a calligrapher who got inspired through his travels to portrait his next art work by magnificent acts of compassion, flashes of sympathy that reflects the ultimate meaning of humanity through people he came across in his journey,” the film’s page on Facebook says.

“The calligrapher set himself the challenge of illuminating these acts through a combination of strokes and drops of ink drawn with thoroughness in bringing his calligraphy into life and creates the perfect masterpiece.”

The film is written and directed by Rana Sawalha, a Jordanian filmmaker.

The effort of the group was awarded when the film won the third place at Mokhtar Awards Festival in France late last December.

“We are very thankful to announce that our short film Mercy has been selected as THIRD PLACE between 50 other international films at Mokhtar Awards Festival in France!,” La Miséricorde Short Film page on Facebook says.

“Big thanks to all of you, because we would not have made it without your support and interaction.”

The country’s six million Muslims have been facing increasing hatred since Paris attacks last January.

Reflecting growing anti-Muslim sentiments, the Paris-based Collective against Islamophobia in France organization revealed that Islamophobic acts in France have increased by 23.5 percent in the first six months of 2015, compared with the same period last year.

It warned that physical assaults increased by 500 percent and verbal attacks by 100 percent during the initial months of 2015, adding that women were among the first victims of Islamophobia.

In April, the National Observatory Against Islamophobia warned of an unprecedented increase in Islamophobic attacks in France during the first three months of 2015, rising by six-fold than in 2014.

Islamophobic actions soared by 500% compared to the same period in 2011, according to the observatory.