French Preacher Expulsion: What it means for Religious Freedom -

On Tuesday 30^th August, The Council of State (France’s highest administrative court) has agreed to the expulsion of Imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco. Citing the ruling by the Council, Gérald Darmanin (Interior Minister) tweeted that Hassan Iquioussen “will be expelled from the national territory” in what he considers to be “a great victory for the republic”¹. Darmanin had previously brought Imam Hassan’s case to Paris Judges in July over “especially virulent anti-Semetic speech” and sermons which called for women’s “submission” to men². The move to deport Iquioussen is part of the crackdown on “Islamist separatism”, and Darmanin has justified the expulsion on the fact that “this preacher has for years practiced hate speech against the values of France contrary to our principles of secularism and equality between men and women”². Hakim El Karoui, a senior fellow at the Institut Montaigne also stated that Imam Iquioussen “does politics with religion” and was close to the Muslim Brotherhood with a goal of promoting an ultraconservative vision of Islam in parts of the French community³.

Hassan Iquioussen, 58, has Moroccan citizenship but was born and resides in Lourches, Northern France. Iquioussen, despite being active on social media with some 180,000 subscribers on YouTube and 46,000 on Facebook⁴, was not broadly known in France, except within the French Muslim community, until immigration authorities took an interest⁵. Responding to the expulsion verdict, he stated:

“They accuse me of discriminatory speeches, even violent ones. I strongly contest this. And my speeches and work are there to prove it. I was born in the North and wish to continue to live peacefully here with my children and grandchildren. I place my confidence in justice to cancel this expulsion order”⁶.

His legal team have also refuted the expulsion. Previously being successful in their application to block the order at the Paris Court on the grounds it would create “disproportionate harm [to his] private and family life”⁷. Lawyers have also remarked that the remarks he is accused of date back to the year 2000 (where he was not prosecuted), and despite being a conservative and having “made retrograde statements on women’s place in society. But that does not constitute a serious threat to public order”⁸. Iquioussen’s legal team stated they “are worried that in the event that he is returned to Morocco his political positions will put his life in danger”⁹. Interior Minister Darmanin however retorted the Imam’s words “create fertile ground for separatism and even terrorism” insisting that he “remains an anti-Semite”¹⁰.

The decision to expel the French Imam has led to protests from multiple parties. For example, a column entitled “Refusing the expulsion of Imam Hassan Iquioussen means defending the basic principles of the rule of law” was signed by several academics and personalities from anti-racist movements¹¹. The column recalls that Imam Iquioussen was born in France and therefore, if he has committed crimes, should answer for them in France not in Morocco:

“Hassan Iquioussen was born in France. He has children and grandchildren in this country. His life is here where, in addition, he is linked to political figures in the North. If it is proven that he has committed crimes of anti-Semitism or homophobia, it is in France that he must account for them”¹².

Among the signatories of the open letter to President Macron, which was published by the French Jewish Union for Peace (UJFP) include; François Burgat (Senior Fellow at the French National Centre for Scientific Research), Laurent Bonnefoy (CNRS research and author at CERI Science Po, Paris), Françoise Vergès (political scientist and activist), Professor Jocelyne Cesari (Professor in Religion and Politics, University of Birmingham and Georgetown University), Rabbi Gabriel Hagaï, and Dominique Natanson (Jewish anti-racist activist)¹³.

The letter recalls, one by one, all racist measures in France particularly those aimed at Muslims, whilst specifically citing the “Asylum-immigration” and “Separatism” law. The letter states that the expulsion is the “implementation of the aggravation of the racist and specifically Islamophobic legislative arsenal voted and promoted under Macron”¹⁴. The signatories explain that the expulsion “evidences the ever more serious obstacle to the rule of law and the designation, by the French Republic, of internal enemies”¹⁵. They further add that:

“The question of the doctrinal and religious positioning of the imam threatened by Gérald Darmanin matters little, in truth. Hassan Iquioussen may be conservative but each branch of monotheism has its conservatives and even its reactionaries. The same goes for Christianity and Judaism. Let’s be honest: what is targeted here is the freedom of opinion and expression of the group identified as Muslim”¹⁶.

Further support for Imam Hassan Iquioussen was seen outside the Palace de la République, where 200 people rallied in support holding up the slogan “Islamophobia is enough”.

Le slogan "L'islamophobie ça suffit !"scandé lors du rassemblement en soutien à l'imam Hassan Iquioussen, devant une foule de 200 personnes, place de la République. pic.twitter.com/3hWpBRkEQf

— Edouard Lavollé (@EdouardLavolle) September 3, 2022

Following the green light for expulsion however, French authorities have not been able to locate the Imam, leading to a warrant being issued for his arrest on the grounds of evading deportation¹⁷. Despite Georges Francois Leclerc (Prefect of the Hauts-de France region) stating he belives the Imam has refuge in Belgium, Spokesperson of the Belgian Ministry of Justice Christine Laura Kouassi said the Imam is not currently included in any database of Belgian authorities as a wanted person¹⁸. Soufiane, one of Imam Iquioussen’s sons condemned the procedures against his father, arguing the treatment “as if the authorities are looking for a terrorist”. He also added he has not seen or heard from his father in weeks, saying “he has left his phone at home. The whole family is still in shock … we do not understand what is happening”¹⁹.