France’s Interior Minister has asked for a Tunisian imam to be stripped of his French residence permit, after authorities were alerted to his anti-French preaching.
Interior Minister Gerarld Darmanin said that Mahjoub Mahjoubi, an imam in Bagnols-sur-Céze, near Avignon, in the south of France, would be deported.
“I have asked for the repeal of his residence permit in preparation for his deportation,” he wrote on X on Sunday, adding that “no call to hate will be left unanswered”.
Authorities in the Gard region where Mahjoubli preached had been alerted to his anti-French statements, according to BFM television.
In a video that was widely circulated on social media, Mahjoubli, a member of the local Muslim association,said the French flag had a “satanic value”.
He said that the flag was put “ahead of the rule of Allah”, and was intended to divide Muslims.
In an interview with a local newspaper, Mahjoubli said he regretted his choice of words in a sermon he said was about the end of days, and not intended to be against France.
Credit: rfi
