Editing Michel Houellebecq (section)

==Views on politics and religion==
{{Conservatism in France|Intellectuals}}
In 2014, Houellebecq drew up a "project for a new constitution" based on [[direct democracy]] which would render the president of the republic elected for life, but instantly revocable by a simple popular referendum, and would permit the people to elect judges.<ref>{{cite news |title=Michel Houellebecq présente un projet politique dans "Lui" |url=https://www.liberation.fr/france/2014/04/29/michel-houellebecq-presente-un-projet-politique-dans-lui_1007482 |access-date=22 November 2019 |publisher=Libération |date=29 April 2014}}</ref> During his 21 June 2016 appearance on ''[[Le Petit Journal (TV programme)|Le Petit Journal]]'', Houellebecq said that he voted for the Socialist Party ticket headed by [[Anne Hidalgo]] and [[Jérôme Coumet]] in the [[2014 Paris municipal election]]. In 2017, Houellebecq explained that he "doesn't believe in an ideological vote, but a vote based on class" and that "there is a class which votes for [[Marine Le Pen|Le Pen]], a class which votes for [[Jean-Luc Mélenchon|Mélenchon]], a class which votes for [[Emmanuel Macron|Macron]], and a class which votes for [[François Fillon|Fillon]]. I am part of the France which votes for Macron, because I am too rich to vote for Le Pen or Mélenchon."<ref>{{cite news |last1=Guyonnet |first1=Paul |title=Michel Houellebecq : "J'appartiens à la classe qui vote Macron" |url=https://www.huffingtonpost.fr/entry/michel-houellebecq-jappartiens-a-la-classe-qui-vote-macron_fr_5c932554e4b00fd5a6ed44cb |access-date=22 November 2019 |date=5 May 2017}}</ref>

In 2002, during an interview about his book ''Platform'' published in the literary magazine ''[[Lire (magazine)|Lire]]'', Houellebecq remarked:

<blockquote>Islam is a dangerous religion, and has been from the moment it appeared. Fortunately, it is doomed. On one hand, because God does not exist, and even if someone is an idiot, he will eventually realize that. In the long run, the truth will triumph. On the other hand, Islam is undermined from the inside by capitalism. We can only hope that it will triumph rapidly. Materialism is a lesser evil. Its values are contemptible, but nevertheless less destructive, less cruel than those of Islam.<ref>{{cite news |last1=Aïssaoui |first1=Mohammed |title=Houellebecq et Plateforme : "La religion la plus con, c'est quand même l'islam" |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/livres/2014/12/30/03005-20141230ARTFIG00159-houellebecq-et-plateforme-la-religion-la-plus-con-c-est-quand-meme-l-islam.php |access-date=22 November 2019 |publisher=Le Figaro |date=30 December 2014}}</ref></blockquote>

He faced trial on charges of racial hatred after calling Islam "the dumbest religion" ("la religion la plus con") in the same interview. He told a court in Paris that his words had been twisted, saying: "I have never displayed the least contempt for Muslims [but] I have as much contempt as ever for Islam."<ref name="BBC News 17 September 2002">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2260922.stm |title=French author denies racial hatred |date=17 September 2002 |website=BBC News |access-date=8 January 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061223083326/http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/2260922.stm |archive-date=23 December 2006 }}</ref> The court acquitted him.<ref>The Australian (10 August 2010) 'Has Mad, Bad Michel Houellebecq Come in From The Cold?' Arts Section [http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/has-mad-bad-michel-houellebecq-come-in-from-the-cold/story-e6frg6so-1225911561705] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100902052024/http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/world/has-mad-bad-michel-houellebecq-come-in-from-the-cold/story-e6frg6so-1225911561705|date=2 September 2010}}]</ref> He was sued by a civil-rights group for hate speech and won on the grounds of freedom of expression.<ref name="hunnewell"/> Houellebecq extended his critique to monotheistic religions in general: "The fundamental monotheistic texts preach neither peace nor love nor tolerance. From the start, they were texts of hatred."<ref>{{cite news |title=Poursuivi pour injure, Michel Houellebecq est relaxé |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/2002/10/22/poursuivi-pour-injure-michel-houellebecq-est-relaxe_295252_1819218.html |access-date=22 November 2019 |publisher=Le Monde |date=22 October 2002}}</ref> In what he has said will be his last novel, ''Aneantir'', Houellebecq has seemingly softened his view on Christianity, though by no means seems to be a convert.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://thecritic.co.uk/houellebecq-joy-and-jesus/ | title=Houellebecq, joy and Jesus | newspaper=The Critic | date=19 June 2023 }}</ref>

He has been critical of attempts to legalise [[euthanasia]] in France and Europe, writing in April 2021 in ''[[Le Figaro]]'':

<blockquote>[W]hen a country — a society, a civilisation — gets to the point of legalising euthanasia, it loses in my eyes all right to respect. It becomes henceforth not only legitimate, but desirable, to destroy it; so that something else — another country, another society, another civilisation — might have a chance to arise.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Michel Houellebecq: "Une civilisation qui légalise l'euthanasie perd tout droit au respect"|url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/vox/societe/michel-houellebecq-une-civilisation-qui-legalise-l-euthanasie-perd-tout-droit-au-respect-20210405|access-date=2021-04-24|website=LEFIGARO|date=5 April 2021|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-04-06|title=Michel Houellebecq arremete contra la legalización de la eutanasia|url=https://www.rfi.fr/es/francia/20210406-michel-houellebecq-arremete-contra-la-legalizaci%C3%B3n-de-la-eutanasia|access-date=2021-04-24|website=RFI}}</ref></blockquote>

In an interview with ''Front Populaire'' magazine in November 2022, he stated: "The '[[Great Replacement]]' is not a theory, it is a fact. There is no conspiracy orchestrated by the elite but there is a 'transfer' of people from poor countries, where the birth rate is high ... What we can already see is that people are arming themselves. There will be acts of resistance, reverse [[November 2015 Paris attacks|Bataclans]], attacks aimed at mosques as well as cafés popular with Muslims ... The objective of the local French population is not for Muslims to assimilate, but for them to stop robbing and attacking them or another possibility, that they go away." He also blamed the US for importing "[[Wokeism|woke]]" culture into France. He went on to add: "Our only chance of survival would be for [[white supremacy]] to become trendy in the United States."<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.lemonde.fr/en/opinion/article/2022/12/22/michel-houellebecq-and-the-far-right-radicalization-of-a-best-selling-author_6008757_23.html | title=Michel Houellebecq and the far-right radicalization of a best-selling author | newspaper=Le Monde.fr | date=22 December 2022 }}</ref>