Gérald Darmanin announced on Tuesday that Morocco had issued a “consular pass” to “expel manu militari” from France Hassan Iquioussen, a reputed preacher close to the Muslim Brotherhood, living in the North. This Friday, the administrative justice has just put a stop to this procedure by suspending the expulsion, which had been ordered by the Ministry of the Interior, considering that it would cause a “disproportionate attack” on his “private life and family”. The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) refused Thursday to suspend the measure.
“Decided to fight against those who make and disseminate anti-Semitic comments that are contrary to equality between women and men”, Gérald Darmanin announced in a press release to appeal to the Council of State.
This 57-year-old preacher born in France but of Moroccan nationality is accused by the French authorities of having made anti-Semitic, homophobic and “anti-women” remarks during sermons or conferences, held almost 20 years ago for some .
“The sole reason based on the existence of acts of explicit and deliberate incitement to discrimination against women cannot (can) justify the expulsion measure without seriously and manifestly disproportionate interference with her right to carry out a normal private and family life”, considered the court in its judgment, of which AFP obtained a copy.
“French justice has kept a cool head”
The court notably recalled that the 57-year-old imam was “born in France where he has resided since birth with his wife and five French children and fifteen French grandchildren”.
“Mr. Iquioussen thanks French justice for having been able to keep a cool head despite the media coverage of this case”, reacted his lawyer, Lucie Simon, to AFP, welcoming “a measured and salutary decision”, the court having in particular “discarded the conspiratorial remarks, considering that the latter, as regrettable as they are, were not in the legal sense an explicit provocation to hatred”. The lawyer added that she had filed a motion on the merits with the administrative court.
“On behalf of the family, we are very happy with this decision”, reacted for AFP one of the sons of the preacher, Sofiane Iquioussen. “He is not at home now, he preferred to go to rest,” he added, claiming to ignore where his father was. The latter is no longer attached to a mosque, but preaches “in different mosques”, especially in the Paris region, “where he is asked”, he said.