Media reports in French Polynesia say the lawyer acting for a French imam in Tahiti has lodged a complaint for inciting racial hatred.
The reports say the complaint is directed at the authors of anti-Muslim postings on the internet and the administrators of facebook where pages were set up to denounce the opening of a prayer room in Tahiti.
If anyone is found guilty of such a crime, the sentence is up to one year in jail and a fine of up to 60,000 US dollars.
A month ago, about 400 people marched through Papeete in an unprecedented protest against the planned mosque.
The prayer room was shut within days of its opening after the city administration found that the premises were only to be used as office space.
The imam's project prompted an extraordinary debate in the territorial assembly and his lawyer said he received death threats.
