Petition opposes turning empty churches into mosques

Former French President Nicolas Sarkozy has joined fellow conservative politicians and intellectuals in signing a petition against allowing Catholic churches to be turned into mosques. Dubbed “Hands Off Our Churches”, the appeal by writer Denis Tillinac came after a Muslim leader said his community needed 2,000 more mosques and suggested empty churches could be converted.

The conservative weekly Valeurs Actuelles published the petition and a poll showing that 67 per cent of the French were against the idea, which Paris Grand Mosque rector Dalil Boubakeur quickly withdrew after it caused an uproar last month. It said over 40,000 French had signed the petition since its publication last week.

The poll showed that over 80 per cent of right-wing voters and 58 per cent of socialists opposed it. Mr Sarkozy is preparing for the 2017 presidential election. Of 45,000 churches in France, only three or four have become mosques. Most belong to the state, which pays for their upkeep.