Frenchman sentenced to one year in prison for burning Quran

Errahma Mosque in Villeurbanne. Photo: AFP/Jeff Pachoud

On July 27, 2025, a French court sentenced Lionel M. to one year in prison for stealing and burning a Quran in front of a mosque in Villeurbanne. The man was found guilty of actions motivated by religious hatred. Despite a diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, the court deemed him partially responsible. This was reported by Le Parisien.

According to the investigation, on the night of June 2, Lionel M. broke into the Errahma mosque, from where he stole a copy of the Quran. He then set the holy book on fire right in front of the building's entrance. Surveillance cameras recorded the incident, and the man was soon apprehended. He was charged with "damage of another's property committed on the grounds of race, ethnicity, nationality, or religion, and simple theft."

At the hearing on July 24, Lionel M. admitted to the arson but claimed that his actions were not directed against Muslims. "I'm not Islamophobic, I think all religions should be respected," he stated in court. According to him, he was a victim of an anti-Semitic attack and wanted "to make it clear that he was offended" by striking at religion in general, not at a specific group. "I wanted to attack not people but a book," the defendant explained, appearing in a kippah.

The court heard the conclusion of a forensic psychiatric examination, according to which Lionel M. has suffered from paranoid schizophrenia since adolescence, but at the time of the crime, he could partially understand the consequences of his actions. This allowed him to be deemed partially responsible and sentenced to imprisonment.

In addition to the one-year prison term, Lionel M. was sentences to a ban on appearing in the town of Villeurbanne for two years after his release. The ruling was met with satisfaction by the local Muslim community. A representative of the Grand Mosque of Lyon stated: "It is important for the community to know that they are not considered second-class citizens. We have been heard."

At the same time, the sentence sparked discussions on social media. Many users noted the severity of the punishment, especially compared to how cases of vandalism against Christian shrines are usually handled, where defendants often receive suspended sentences.

Formally, Lionel M. was not charged with blasphemy – such a concept does not exist in French law. However, the nature of the charges and the court's reaction, according to observers, indicate an attempt to establish a legal precedent in defense of religious feelings, despite the secular nature of the republic.

Previously, the UOJ reported that pro-Palestinian activists disrupted a mass in a Parisian church.

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