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Rabat – Belgian authorities have revoked the residence permit of Mohamed Toujgani, a Moroccan imam at the Al Khalil mosque in Molenbeek, Belgium.
Sammy Mahdi, State Secretary for Asylum and Migration confirmed the news to Belgian news outlet VRT. Mahdi said that the Moroccan imam “posed a serious threat to national security.’
He emphasized that anyone who “sows hatred, divides our society and poses a threat to our security is not welcome in our country, not today, and not in the years to come.”
He added that Toujgani was among the most influential imams who have been “given the space to spread and defend their ideas.”
Toujgani does not have Belgian nationality.
Authorities ordered him to leave Belgium and face an entry ban for the next ten years, according to VRT.
Toujgani’s lawyer, however, indicated that the imam will appeal the case as he has a wife and children in Belgium.
Toujgani appeared in a video in 2019 calling for the “burning of Jews” amid Israeli attacks against Gaza. He apologized saying the statement was an “emotional flop in the middle of the Gaza war.”
El Khalil mosque reacted to the decision of the Belgian authorities.
The Islamic Mutual Aid League, which manages the mosque called on Belgian authorities to reverse its decision.
The statement emphasized that the imam has lived in Belgium for over 40 years.
The board added that the Moroccan imam’s record is clean and he had never faced charges of any criminal offense.
