LONDON: A French administrative court announced on Tuesday the decision to expel Moroccan Imam Hassan Iquioussen from France for spreading hate speech and extremism.
France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin announced the court ruling on his Twitter account, saying that Iquioussen “will be expelled from national territory” in “a great victory for the republic.”
The decision comes after weeks of court battles and statements by Darmanin that he is prepared to change the law to remove Iquioussen from France.
In early August, Darmanin announced the intended expulsion of Iquioussen “by force” after Morocco confirmed it had authorized his travel to the North African nation, but that was put on hold when Iquioussen secured a legal block on his deportation.
“This imam … uses antisemitic language. He denies equality between men and women. He denies genocides. He calls for terrorist attacks in France to be considered as conspiracies,” Darmanin said. “The enemies of the republic have no place in the republic.”
Iquioussen, 58, has come under fire from the French political establishment and the government for his preaching, with his sermons on YouTube attracting tens of millions of views.
Iquioussen was featured in Arab News’ “Preachers of Hate” series. Born in 1964 in Denain in northeastern France to Moroccan immigrants, he is the father of five children.
After gaining a bachelor’s degree in Arabic and a master’s degree in history, Iquioussen devoted himself to learning and transmitting Islam, despite receiving no formal Islamic education.
Since 2012, he has used his YouTube channel to share controversial and conspiratorial views on a range of subjects.
Through his recordings and YouTube channel, Iquioussen has become one of the leading preachers of the Muslims of France (formerly the Union of Islamic Organizations of France), an organization with strong links to the Muslim Brotherhood.