France Settles l’Affaire Houellebecq — at Least for Now

Chief Rabbi brokers a truce over remarks by the famed and provocative novelist about a growing rejection of Islam and Muslims in France.

AP/Thibault Camus
French novelist Michel Houellebecq at Paris on January 7, 2015. AP/Thibault Camus

Incident over. The Chief Rabbi of France, Haim Korsia, brokered a compromise between a famous French novelist, Michel Houellebecq, and the rector of the Great Mosque at Paris, Chems-Eddine Hafiz. Mr. Houellebecq agreed to “correct” some of his recent statements about French Muslims. Rector Hafiz withdrew the complaint for “community violence incitement” he had filed against Mr. Houellebecq.

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