A federation of mosques files a complaint against Michel Houellebecq

The Union of Mosques of France (UMF) filed a complaint Friday against the writer Michel Houellebecq for “provocation to discrimination, hatred or violence”, according to his lawyer.

The complaint was filed in the Nanterre court against the director of the Popular Front magazine Stéphane Simon and against Michel Houellebecq and the philosopher Michel Onfray, said Me Najwa El Haïté.

“Bataclan upside down”

In question, the words of Michel Houellebecq with regard to Muslims published at the end of November in the magazine Front populaire, in an interview with Michel Onfray. In the interview, the author of the novel “Submission” presented Muslims there as a threat to the safety of non-Muslim French people.

“The wish of the native French population, as they say, is not for Muslims to assimilate but for them to stop stealing from and attacking them. Or else, another solution, that they go away, ”affirmed Michel Houellebecq. He also predicted future “Bataclan upside down” with regard to Muslims, in reference to the jihadist attacks of November 13, 2015.

“ambiguous” paragraphs

Last week, the writer, against whom the rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris had also announced that he wanted to file a complaint, admitted that certain paragraphs were “ambiguous”. He had communicated a new amended version of his initial remarks which must be the subject of a book to be published.

“The Muslims of France do not understand that Mr. Houellebecq can on the one hand recognize that the paragraphs concerned are ambiguous and on the other hand take no measure to suspend their diffusion”, however estimated Mohammed Moussaoui, the president of the UMF, in a press release. “His proposal to replace them in the edition of a future book does not put an end to their dissemination and does not protect Muslims from their consequences,” he said.

In addition, the French Council of the Muslim Worship (CFCM, former interlocutor of the public authorities on the Muslim worship), meeting Sunday, January 8 in general assembly and of which Mohammed Moussaoui ensures the interim co-presidency, also announced its intention to file a complaint. For its part, the great Mosque of Paris has waived legal proceedings.

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