Join on WhatsApp
Join on Telegram
Rabat – Rachida Dati, Mayor of the 7th arrondissement of Paris and previous member of the European Parliament, said the decision to expel Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen should have been taken long ago.
Dati argued that the imam had been making “criminal” remarks since the time of former French President Francois Hollande. “At the time, nothing was done,” she said. “Neither by Mrs. Taubira nor Mr. Hollande, no one reacted.”
Dati said the resolution, which French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin declared as a victory for France, is “not a competition.”
Speaking to Europe 1, she said that if the decision is not actually enforced and the imam stays in European territory, it would not count as much of a victory.
France’s Ministry of Interior had issued an order to expel the Moroccan imam, citing sermons that were “antisemitic and contradictory to the values of the Republic.”
The decision was blocked at first by the Administrative Court of Paris, but was approved by France’s Council of State on Tuesday.
Iquioussen’s lawyer said her client would appeal the decision, but the Imam has reportedly gone missing, with some saying he may have left for Belgium.
Read also: NGO Slams France for Threatening to Expel French-Born Moroccan Imam
Talking about whether Iquioussen should have been placed under police custody, the French politician said while that was not possible, he could have been put under house arrest to prevent him from escaping.
“The decision is certainly a victory for the law, for the application of the law, but it still has to be executed,” she continued. “Otherwise it is not much of a victory.”
Iquioussen was born in France in 1964, but is a Moroccan citizen. In addition to his work as an imam, he also runs a YouTube channel with nearly 180,000 subscribers, where he uploads many of his speeches.
