Fire destroys Muslim prayer hall in Corsica

The blaze comes just months after a separate Muslim prayer hall on the French island was ransacked by a mob

Police officers inspect a damaged Muslim prayer room set on fire (AP)

A Muslim prayer hall on the French island of Corsica has been seriously damaged by a fire, which prosecutors have said could be a “criminal attack”.

No injuries have been reported following the blaze at one of the largest prayer halls in the island’s capital Ajaccio on Saturday.

Police are investigating the incident as criminal after finding two separate sources of fire inside the hall.

French President Francois Hollande has promised a swift investigation into the blaze will take place.

“If it is confirmed to be of criminal origin, those responsible must be rapidly identified and brought to justice,” Mr Hollande said in a statement.

“Any anti-religious act must not be tolerated.”

The blaze comes just months after a separate Muslim prayer hall in Ajaccio was ransacked by a mob.

Protests erupted on the French island after firefighters were attacked on Christmas Day last year while responding to an emergency call from a deprived district of the city.

A French police officer stands in front of a Muslim prayer room after it was destroyed by a fire (AFP)

French forensics work in front of a Muslim prayer room after it was destroyed by a fire, suspected to be arson in Ajaccio (AFP)

Demonstrators reportedly shouted slogans such as “Arabs get out” and some of the crowd vandalised the prayer hall and set fire to books including copies of the Koran.

Several anti-Muslim attacks occurred in the weeks following the incident, including an attack on a Muslim butcher’s shop.

Following Saturday’s blaze, Ajaccio mayor Laurent Marcangeli told iTELE news channel: “This is unacceptable. Those sites are not sufficiently protected.”

Abdallah Zekri, the head of the National Observatory Against Islamophobia told AFP, authorities should “do everything to shed light on this incident in order to avoid an escalation of violence.”

"It has been calm since the end of the year, but unfortunately certain ill-intentioned people want to inflame the situation," he added.

A police officer inspects a Muslim prayer room set on fire (AP)

French Interior Minister Bernard Cazeneuve issued a statement on Saturday expressing "solidarity with the Muslims of Corsica".

He also spoke of the "commitment of the government to protect all places of worship and to ensure freedom of worship throughout the territory".

In December, France saw the far-right Front National win the first round of its regional elections in Corsica for the first time.

The party was, however, largely defeated in a second round of run-off voting after widespread tactical voting by supporters of other parties.

Additional reporting by Reuters