France-Morocco Tensions Rise Over Imam Expulsion and Visa Issues

French Prime Minister Élisabeth Borne said on Thursday that Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin should discuss the imam’s expulsion with the Moroccan ambassador, after Rabat revealed on Wednesday that it would not authorize this expulsion. In an interview with France Inter, Borne acknowledged the lack of consultation with Morocco on the issue, confirming that Iquioussen’s expulsion was "a unilateral decision by France."

According to sources close to the Moroccan authorities, the withdrawal of the consular authorization for the expulsion of the Moroccan imam, who is accused of anti-Semitic remarks and a "systematic discourse on the inferiority of women," is largely due to the French policy of reducing visas to Moroccans. A policy launched in 2021 by President Emmanuel Macron, who asked Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia to cooperate for the return of their nationals convicted or in an irregular situation in France.

Hassan Iquioussen, born in France 58 years ago, does not have French nationality. On Tuesday, the Council of State endorsed the Interior Minister’s decision to expel him from French territory, after he obtained a suspension of the expulsion in early August by the Paris court of first instance. Since Tuesday, the Moroccan imam has been reported missing. The law enforcement officers who went to arrest him did not find him at his home or at another address where he could be. He is said to have taken refuge in Belgium.

"Hassan Iquioussen is no longer on French territory today and if he were still there, the expulsion decision validated by the Council of State will be executed," said the French Prime Minister. This affair, which is further clouding relations between France and Morocco, comes just a few days after Macron’s visit to Algeria on August 25, where the French president announced that the visa policy will be reviewed to allow more Algerians to enter France.