French Imam Faces Expulsion Over Alleged Anti-French Rhetoric

The preacher of Moroccan origin will be expelled from French territory under the law against separatism, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin announced on Wednesday. He accuses him of holding "for years a hateful discourse against the values of France, contrary to our principles of secularism and equality between women and men."

This decision has provoked many reactions, from religious personalities and organizations. The day after the announcement, the former Union of Islamic Organizations of France (UOIF) publicly expressed "its surprise and incomprehension" in the face of the expulsion procedure initiated against an imam "who has never spared his efforts to spread an authentic Islam imbued with love and tolerance," reports Saphirnews.

"Today, I express my deep incomprehension regarding this decision against Hassan Iquioussen, one of the most prestigious Muslim preachers in France. Through his measured discourse, he has been able to immunize hundreds of thousands of young people against extremism and religious fanaticism for two successive generations," estimates Mohsen Ngazou, president of M.F., interviewed by Saphirnews. And he adds: "He is a man of peace and dialogue. He has never ceased to follow an enlightened and respectful path of the republican framework. A long experience in the field combined with the maturity of age gives him extraordinary wisdom."

Reiterating his trust in justice, Ngazou said he was "convinced that the justice of our Republic will restore his fundamental rights." The same sentiment from Hassan Iquioussen, who expressed his "confidence in justice and (in his) counsel in order to cancel this expulsion procedure."