A mosque in Paris raises a complaint against a French anti-Islam writer
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On Thursday, the Grand Mosque in Paris announced that it had filed a criminal case against French writer Michel Houellebecq due to his anti-Muslim statements amid the rise of Islamophobia in the country.
The decision was made after a “long conversation” between Houellebecq and another writer, Michel Onfray, the statement said, and was published in FrontPublic magazine in November.
In the article, Houellebecq said that people in France “arm themselves” and can attack Islamic institutions when “whole regions are under Islamic control”.
“People are arming themselves. They are buying guns and taking shooting courses… I believe that acts of resistance will occur when entire regions fall under Islamic control. And then, attacks and shootings will be committed in mosques and cafes that are mostly visited by Muslims, well, the Bataclan in reverse.” .
For the officials of the Great Mosque of Paris, these “forced statements” were “unacceptable and incredibly brutal”.
“They do not seek to clarify any public debate but rather provoke discriminatory rhetoric and actions,” she added.
The statement noted that while criticism of religion is permissible in a democratic society, the comments in the article were “calling for the rejection and exclusion of the entire Islamic component.”
“In light of these circumstances, the Great Mosque of Paris decided to file a complaint … against these statements, which it considers an act of hatred against Muslims,” it added.