The Union of French Mosques (UMF) filed a complaint on Friday January 13 against the writer Michel Houellebecq for “provoking discrimination, hatred or violence”, AFP learned from his lawyer.
The complaint, consulted by AFP, was filed in the Nanterre court against the director of the
Popular Front
magazine Stéphane Simon as well as against Michel Houellebecq and the philosopher Michel Onfray, said Me Najwa El Haïté.
Read alsoThe rector of the Paris Mosque: "Why I agreed to meet Michel Houellebecq"
In question, the words of Michel Houellebecq with regard to Muslims published at the end of November in an interview with Michel Onfray published by the magazine
Front populaire
.
In the interview, the author of the novel “
Submission
” presented Muslims there as a threat to the safety of non-Muslim French people.
“ambiguous” paragraphs
“
The wish of the native French population, as they say, is not for Muslims to assimilate but for them to stop robbing 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.
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 diffusion and does not protect Muslims from their consequences.
", according to him.
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 Grand Mosque of Paris has waived legal proceedings.
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