Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi, who described the French flag as “satanic” during a sermon at the mosque, was arrested this Wednesday at his home in Bagnols-sur-Cèze, in the south of the country, and transferred to an administrative detention center in the Paris region to, finally, be expelled from France. According to the order of the Ministry of the Interior, to which the newspaper Le Figaro had access, Mahjoubi is accused of “transmitting a literal, retrograde, intolerant and violent conception of Islam in a way that encourages behavior contrary to the values of the Republic, to discrimination against women, identity withdrawal, tensions with the Jewish community and jihadist radicalization.” In parallel, the Muslim cleric is investigated by the Nîmes Prosecutor's Office for alleged advocacy of terrorism.
Mahjoubi's lawyer, Samir Hamroun, said his client and his family were in shock at the arrest and the manner. The police went to his home, where there were minor children. The lawyer will present an appeal, although this does not automatically stop the expulsion order, according to the new immigration law approved last December.
The procedure to send the imam to Tunisia, his country of origin, is complex. The consular safe conduct of the Maghreb State is required. Mahjoubi has a residence permit valid until 2029. It seemed that the fact that he was married to a French woman protected him, but the authorities have discovered that the cleric contracted a religious marriage with a Tunisian woman without having yet divorced his French wife. That, according to the law, would be polygamy, an added reason for expulsion.
