Yes, the French Muslim "Batman" is a politically correct statement by DC Comics.

For all the whining going on by Comics Alliance, Robot 6 and others. The new Muslim Batman is a political statement based on boosting up the repressed minority to make themselves feel good. A backhand move that I always found this distasteful as a black man.

David Hines, Writer: Rather than use the obvious choice of The Musketeer as the new French Batman, I wanted to come up with the kind of hero I would want to see in a comic book if I were French. The process of developing a story is complex and there are all kinds of things I looked at.

The urban unrest and problems of the ethnic minorities under Sarkozy’s government dominate the news from France and it became inevitable that the hero should come from a French Algerian background.

The Parkour element was maybe a little obvious, but it fitted very well with the concept of a hero from the streets. Clichy-Sous-Bois, as you point out, is the flashpoint for rioting in Paris, so again was the obvious location for Bilal.

The reason is right there and its not about being anything other than politically correct which is standard given the left wing nature of the comic industry these days. If he really wanted to stand out since in his mind the majority is the problem he would take the Musketeer (White person)to point out the problems of ethnic minorities and it would have more power to it. Though you would have the white guy saves the day gimmick it wouldn't come off as bad as French Muslim Batman which has its merits but on both sides of the argument has devolved into stupid arguments.