New Delhi: Reacting to what it deemed as “unacceptable” comments on the country’s flag, the French government has deported a Tunisian Muslim cleric, Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi, after arresting him for his statement.
The cleric, labelled a “radical Imam” by the French Interior Ministry, faced immediate expulsion less than 12 hours after his arrest, according to a statement from French Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin Thursday.
Mahjoubi had been living in France for the past 38 years. He was earlier in administrative detention in the Paris region, with his exact location and expulsion details unspecified. Franceinfo, France’s radio and TV network, reported that the Imam was on a flight headed to Tunis Thursday evening.
The controversy stemmed from a social media post by Mahjoubi, in which he referred to the French tricolour flag as “satanic”, as reported by Reuters.
The French Interior Ministry, in justifying the expulsion, accused Mahjoubi of promoting a “literal, backward, intolerant, and violent conception of Islam”, suggesting that such ideologies could potentially incite behaviours contrary to French values and applauded France’s immigration laws due for his swift deportation.
“The radical ‘Imam’ Mahjoub Mahjoubi has just been expelled from the national territory, less than 12 hours after his arrest. This is a demonstration of how the Immigration law, without which such a rapid expulsion would not have been possible, makes France stronger. We won’t let anything go,” Darmanin posted on ‘X’ (formerly Twitter) Friday.
« L’Imam » radical Mahjoub Mahjoubi vient d’être expulsé du territoire national, moins de 12h après son interpellation.
C’est la démonstration que la loi Immigration, sans laquelle une telle expulsion aussi rapide n’aurait pas été possible, rend la France plus forte. Nous ne…
— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) February 22, 2024
Despite the expulsion, Mahjoubi, who preached at the Ettaouba mosque in Bagnols-sur-Ceze, southern France, has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing and defended his statements, alleging that they were misconstrued and emphasising that he never intended to show disrespect to the French flag, according to a BBC report.
He was arrested earlier this week after a video circulated online showing him describing a “tricolour flag” as “satanic” and saying it has “no value with Allah”.
Though the Imam did not mention any particular flag, many of the comments under the video assumed it was the French flag. Apologising over the furore caused by his video, the imam called it a “slip of the tongue”, the BBC reported.
Meanwhile, his lawyer announced plans to appeal the expulsion procedure, challenging the decision, according to media reports.
The expulsion order, as reported by French media, revealed the government’s concerns about Mahjoubi’s ideology, suggesting it could lead to discrimination against women, identity withdrawal, tensions with the Jewish community, and encouragement of “jihadist radicalisation”.
“Instructions were given to issue a ministerial expulsion order against this radical ‘imam’ who made unacceptable remarks, and he was the subject of a home visit and an arrest. Without the immigration law, this would not have been possible. Firmness is the rule,” the minister posted on 22 February.
Instruction a été donnée de prendre un arrêté ministériel d’expulsion contre cet « imam » radical aux propos inacceptables et il a fait l’objet d’une visite domiciliaire et d’une interpellation.
Sans la loi immigration, cela n’aurait pas pu être possible. La fermeté est la… https://t.co/uTJG2YbpQ5— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) February 22, 2024
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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