French Mosque files complaint against author for anti-Muslim remarks

The Grand Mosque of Paris has filed a complaint against French writer Michel Houellebecq over his anti-Muslim remarks.

The decision was taken after a "long conversation" between Houellebecq and another writer, Michel Onfray, was published in magazine Front Populaire in November, according to the mosque's Thursday's statement.

In the article, Houellebecq said that people in France were "arming themselves" and could attack Muslim establishments.

"People are arming themselves. They are procuring rifles and taking shooting courses … I think acts of resistance will occur when entire territories fall under Islamic control."

"Attacks and shootings will be perpetrated in mosques, coffeeshops mostly visited by the Muslims, well, Bataclan in reverse," he said.

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'Discriminatory rhetoric'

For officials of the Grand Mosque of Paris, these "lapidary remarks" were "unacceptable and unbelievably brutal."

"They do not seek to elucidate any public debate but arouse discriminatory rhetoric and acts," it added.

The statement noted that while criticising religion was permitted in democratic society, the comments in the article were "calling to reject and exclude the Muslim component in its entirety."

"In these circumstances, the Grand Mosque of Paris had decided to file a complaint … against those remarks that it considers as an act provoking hatred towards Muslims," it added.

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