Housing minister Mona Keijzer has told the Telegraaf she is launching a counter lawsuit after being accused of discrimination over her comments about anti-Semitism.

Keijzer told a television talk show earlier this year that “the hatred of Jews is almost part of the culture in Islamic countries”, and this is why anti-Semitism should become part of the integration course new residents need to go through.

A group of Dutch Muslims instigated legal action against her for “group insult” but the public prosecution department refused to proceed with the case. It said that although the comments were, in principle, insulting to a group, legal action would have infringed a politician’s right to freedom of speech.

The decision to go to court is not only about clearing her name but about the right to freedom of speech, the housing minister said.

She wants the courts to decide if her comment, made on talk show Sophie & Jeroen, is an offence. “This is the second time my integrity has been called into question,” she told the paper.

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“Stating facts is not a crime,” Keijzer said later on social media, in a link to the newspaper article.

If the court finds that Keijzer’s words are a criminal offence, she could end up facing charges anyway, the paper said.