Turkish-Islamic association building destroyed in France fire

By Ilayda Cakirtekin

ISTANBUL (AA) - The Turkish-Islamic Union for Religious Affairs (DITIB) said its building in the Jargeau commune of France's Loiret department was destroyed by fire.

The fire that broke out on Tuesday continued until Wednesday night, rendering the building unusable. It added that the authorities were closely monitoring the situation.

“We wish our association and our community a speedy recovery,” the union said in a statement.

Emmanuel Duplessy, a lawmaker for the second constituency of Loiret, expressed his support to the Muslim community of Jargeau.

He affirmed that the association had received some insulting and threatening letters before.

“This is all the more important given that many fellow citizens' belonging to the national community and equal rights are being called into question because of their religion, and this just a few days before Ramadan,” Duplessy said.

Last month, a mosque affiliated with DITIB in northwestern France was vandalized with a pig head graffiti.