The Hungarian cover of a novel by controversial French author Michel Houellebecq has caused an uproar in the French press. The novel is about an imaginary scenario which sees the Muslim Brotherhood winning French elections and introducing the Islamic legal system in the country, while France looks on in practical paralysis.
The controversial novel has been translated into Hungarian and features an image of a burqa-clad Mona Lisa on its cover, an allegory of the “clash” between the Western and Islamic civilisations. The Hungarian cover is now at the centre of controversy itself, with an article in the French newspaper Le Nouvel Observateur claiming that it is the manifestation of radical nationalism and xenophobia, adding that the book was published in France with a nondescript, cream-coloured cover. The article’s author writes that the cover courts the far-right and “must appeal greatly to Viktor Orbán’s supporters”.
The reaction by Magvető, the book’s Hungarian publisher, has since appeared on the newspaper’s website. In the lengthy explanation, editor István Láng rejects accusations of Islamophobia and says that while it is true that far-right parties in Western Europe are anti-Islam, the case of Hungary’s Jobbik, which favours Islamic countries and is critical towards Israel, is entirely the opposite. Those who follow the publishing of Magvető and its authors know that accusations of radical nationalism are entirely unfounded, Mr. Láng argues.