Belgium to Deport Controversial Imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco After France’s Silence

In a decision handed down on December 16, the Belgian authorities decided to return the imam of Lourches, Hassan Iquioussen, accused of "having for years held a hateful discourse against the values of France", to the Moroccan border, "in order not to prolong (his) detention unreasonably," reports BFMTV. This follows a decision to return to the French border issued by Belgium on November 15 that remained unanswered by Paris.

The effectiveness of this removal requires the prior issuance by Morocco of a consular document. The French authorities had already encountered Rabat’s refusal to grant them a "laissez-passer" after the expulsion order. For his part, the imam opposes his possible return to the French or Moroccan border and is working to thwart this project.