Thibaud Hue (special correspondent in Casablanca), edited by Solène Leroux
modified to
3:33 p.m., August 31, 2022
The Council of State on Tuesday validated the expulsion of Imam Hassan Iquioussen. Morocco is ready to welcome him, the consular pass has been issued, even if for the time being the imam is wanted by the French police. Europe 1 went to Casablanca, where the news of this expulsion is starting to spread. On Wednesday morning, the preacher’s face can be seen on television. “The imam has been punished,” reports the 2M news channel. “The French Minister of the Interior puffs out his chest”, writes the newspaper Al Bayane. Moroccans are discovering it.
“France gets rid of the problem”
Those with whom Europe 1 was able to discuss never heard the name of Hassan Iquioussen. Many in the city center shrug their shoulders at the mention of the subject. But Zakia, 27, was very surprised. This young Casablancan, sitting with her friends on a sidewalk, steaming tea in hand, does not understand why France is deporting her. “He has to stay there. He did stuff there, [donc] normally [ce sont les Français] who must manage them”, she assures. “He must not come back here, he must be punished there. I don’t understand.”
Mohammed, owner of a restaurant 200 meters from the city’s great mosque, cannot believe it. Welcoming this preacher to Morocco, for him, is out of the question. “France must take its responsibilities, judge him there. If he deserves prison, it’s prison. Sending him back to Morocco makes no sense, France is getting rid of the problem”, thunders he.
“He must respect the Republic”
Not everyone is of the same opinion. Mohammad works here. This Moroccan dressed in a long blue and white tunic believes that the imam deserves his sentence. “I don’t care if he comes back or not. France is in the process of training imams so that they can say normal things,” he recalls. “He is a foreigner who lives in France, he must respect the Republic. If this imam makes hateful remarks, I do not agree with him.”
When Mokhtar came out of prayer, he immediately turned on the radio in his red taxi to follow the affair. This Casablanca driver, cap on his head, approves of the decision to expel the imam. “It’s normal, it’s their country and you have to protect the country. A French proverb would be ‘Welcome to our house, but don’t forget that you are with us’. You have to respect customs. If you have someone one that is harmful at home, you have to avoid it. It’s normal”, he testifies.
According to information from Europe 1, when Hassan Iquioussen is arrested in France and then sent to an administrative detention center, he will have to be repatriated to Casablanca. It is not by chance: the imam, reputed to be close to the Muslim Brotherhood, would have family on the spot on the side of his wife. He should be directly handed over to the police when he leaves his plane.