Belgium Deports Imam to Morocco

We have been following the saga of a Moroccan-born imam, Hassan Iquioussen, who was under a deportation order from France, but who fled to Belgium to avoid arrest. Subsequently nabbed in Belgium, he then fought extradition to Morocco. Morocco, who had initially declined to issue an entry pass for the imam, thus preventing his removal, later changed course and issued the pass. Iquioussen has now reportedly been removed to Morocco by the Belgians.

The below article from yesterday's BFMTV (France) is translated by Fousesquawk.

 https://www.bfmtv.com/police-justice/l-imam-hassan-iquioussen-a-ete-expulse-au-maroc-par-la-belgique_AD-202301130669.html

Imam Hassan Iquioussen has been expelled to Morocco by Belgium

SR with AFP January 13, 2023 at 20:29

Caption: Imam Hassan Iquioussen leaves after a hearing in the appellate court of Le Mons, 10 November 2022

At the end of last July, the Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, announced his expulsion from French territory. But the imam could not be found at the time the expulsion arrest was ordered and had fled to Belgium.

Imam Hassan Iquioussen was expelled Friday to Morocco by Belgium, where he had been arrested September 30 after his expulsion (order) from France for "remarks inciting hate and discrimination," his French lawyer has announced.

This preacher from the north of France, for whom Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin had announced an expulsion order at the end of July, was expelled to Casablanca after the issuance of an entry permit by Moroccan authorities, stated Attorney Lucie Simon.

The expulsion order forbids return, the Interior Ministry tells BFMTV. Hassan Iquioussen is listed in the file of wanted persons and therefore, in the Schengen information system, which permits the reporting and prevents his entry into European (EU) territory. 

A "great victory against separatism"

The announcement was also made by the Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration on her Twitter account Friday, hailing the removal of the "Iquioussen hate," and "the good cooperation" with France in this case.

"We cannot permit an extremist to wander around our territory. Everyone who hasn't the right to be here must be removed," she commented in a press release.

For his part, Gerald Darmanin welcomed a "great victory against separatism," BFMTV learned from his entourage. 

Expulsion from France in July

At the end of July, Gerald Darmanin announced the expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen, accusing him of (making) "a proselytizing speech mixed with remarks inciting hate and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of the French Republic".

But the imam could not be located at the time the arrest warrant for deportation had been definitively validated by the Counsel of State on August 31. He had fled to French-speaking Belgium where he was arrested in the area of Mons on September 30.

Hassan Iquioussen was then placed in a lockdown center near Liege in mid-November (on charges of) illegal residence (and) targeted with an order to leave Belgian territory after the failure of a European arrest procedure initiated by France.

"About-face"

His French attorney, Lucie Simon, was shocked Friday evening by the "about-face" of Morocco, who had refused France's request last summer (to issue) a consular entry pass allowing the removal of the imam to his country of origin.

"I am surprised by the about-face by the Moroccan authorities, and I believe that the place for Hassan Iquioussen is in France," Attorney Lucie Simon reacted, stressing that the lawyers were not informed of the issuance of the consular document.

"We await the basis of the judgment of the Paris Administrative Tribunal, (and) if the (French) expulsion order had been annulled, France would have to ensure his return, " she added.

S.R. with Agence France Presse

The Muslim Brotherhood in France (4)

This is another in our series of translations from European articles regarding the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and the 4th specifically concerning France. A Muslim Brotherhood-linked imam who is the subject of many complaints of anti-Semitic speech, is being expelled from France (to his native Morocco). His name is Hasssan Iquioussen. This expulsion is being greeted by the head imam in Drancy, apparently, a more moderate imam.

The below MSN article in French is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.msn.com/fr-xl/afrique-du-nord/other/france-lexpulsion-de-hassan-iquioussen-salu%C3%A9e-par-limam-de-drancy-hassen-chaghoumi/ar-AA105lxj?fromMaestro=true

France: Expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen greeted by imam of Drancy Hassen  Chaghoumi

Emma Labescat-17 hours ago

On Thursday, the Imam of Drancy, Hassen Chaghoumi, greeted the announcement by the French Minister of Interior, Gerard Darmanin, of the expulsion of the preacher Hassan Iquioussen, reputedly close to the Muslim Brotherhood, accused of making calls for hate and violence against the Jewish community.

The Imam of Drancy also described (Iquioussen) in his statements to the press, as,"a man who embodies conflict and separatism," in calling (Chaghoumi) to "liberate Islam from Islamism". He stated that Hassan Iquioussen is, "one of the most influential men in the Muslim Brotherhood of France. He embodies separatism, political Islam, confrontation, and the importation of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Unfortunately, this issue of political Islam is embodied in the person of Hassan Iquioussen," he added. "There are dozens of Hassan Iquioussens in France, trained by IESH, the Institute of Training of the Muslim Brotherhood," he added.

Soon to be expelled, according to the French Minister of Interior, the preacher Hassan Iquioussen is very active on social media. In addition, his YouTube channel is followed by 169,000 people, and his Facebook page counts 42,000 subscribers. At the age of 57, Hassan Iquioussen was accused of anti-Semitic remarks by the Crif ( Representative Council of Jewish Institutions in France) in 2004. 

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Fousesquawk comment: This is good news, and there are many more of these hateful imams who should be sent packing. And kudos to the imam of Drancy.

Muslim Brotherhood in France (7)

This is the latest in our series of translations from European articles regarding the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and the 7th on France. In this interview of Mohamed Louizi, a former member of the Muslim Brotherhood, he talks about the now-deported imam, Hassan Iquioussen, and the MB finances in France.

 https://global-watch-analysis.com/mohamed-louizi-les-freres-musulmans-dissimulent-un-immense-empire-immobilier-en-france-et-en-europe/

Mohamed Louizi: The Muslim Brotherhood is hiding an immense real estate empire in France and Europe

The author of  "Why I left the Muslim Brotherhood," was the first in 2016 to publish an investigation into the real estate holdings of the imam, Hassan Iquioussen, and his family. For him, the Iquioussen case is, in fact, the tree that hides the forest. For decades, the Muslim Brotherhood has been discreetly accumulating real estate, houses, local businesses, apartments, and land. The objective is to build up a "war chest" that would permit them to be financially independent, so as not to further depend on money coming from Gulf countries.

Interview by Ian Hamel

-The Canard enchaine (the Chained Duck-satirical paper)  claims that Hassan Iquioussen is subject to the wealth tax and that his assets exceed 1.3 million euros. Do you share that estimate?

- Mohamed Louizi: I think this number is very underestimated. This family not only has real estate assets in northern France. Investigations should also be conducted on the coast of Bordeaux and its region. The reportages published at the time of the announcement of the expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen have shown that he and his children, through a multitude of civil real estate companies (SCI), had built up impressive capital investing in stone, renting dozens of apartments in numerous municipalities in the north. In spite of this fortune, Hassan Iquioussen has succeeded for a long time in presenting the image of an ascetic, living modestly. I recall one of his trips to Villeneuve-d'Ascq: He had arrived in an old, dented car. On the other hand, he was living more than comfortably in a very expensive house.

-But do all these assets really belong to Iquioussen?

-That is the principal question that must be asked. Who really owns all the properties purchased in their names by the Iquioussens and their relatives? In fact, Hassan Iquioussen is nothing more than the tree that hides the forest of the Muslim Brotherhood. At present, we must begin to attack the forest. For at least 30 years in all of Europe, the Brotherhood has been accumulating considerable assets, essentially based on stone. The Muslim Brotherhood is buying apartments, houses, real estate, businesses, and land everywhere. With the complicity of elected officials, whether on the left, center, or right, they are seen being sold assets at laughable prices, often without calls for bids. You would have to list all the acquisitions of the Muslim Brotherhood and publish a sort of "black book" for public opinion to finally realize their strategy. The concept of Tamkine, of which I talk about in "Why I left the Muslim Brotherhood", this global project of domination of the West, of the victory without sharing political power, is not only a mental image. It is a strategy, and this is being realized concretely, year after year.

- Why is there so much complicity by elected officials? We have often mentioned the conclusion by Anne-Lise Dufour-Tonini, the Socialist Party mayor of Denain.

-For a long time, these elected officials, either out of true ignorance or simple calculation, have confused Islam and political Islam.  They believed that by showing themselves to be complacent about the Muslim Brotherhood, they would automatically gain their votes in elections. Obviously, this confusion is (perpetuated) by the Brotherhood. The Union of Islamic Organizations in France (UOIF) became Muslims in France in 2017, always seeking to make others believe that they represent all French Muslims. 

- Can you define the concept of Tamkine?

- The dream of Hassan al-Banna, the founder of the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 in Egypt, (was) to recreate an Islamic caliphate dominating all of the Arab-Muslim countries, but also the West. The concept of Tamkine is part of the lexical elements of the fundamental terminology of the expansionist ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood, whether in Egypt, or Qatar, or Europe and France. The term, in Arabic, is used here. To attain Tamkine, there are several steps, the first being the propagation of Islam, and the next is selecting the individuals who will carry and transmit the Islamic message. The last step is victory, that is to say, domination, without sharing of political power, so that Sunni Islam dominates the hearts and organizes society according to the laws of Allah and in strict respect for the tradition of the Prophet Mohammed. It is simply the creation of an Islamic state.

-So are there not dozens, if not hundreds of Iquioussens in France?

-Hassan Iquioussen, despite everything, has a profile that is somewhat particular insofar as he is known, where he shows himself. Generally, the Muslim Brotherhood chooses its (lesser-known) people in order to fly under the radar. Discreet members of the Brotherhood or even trusted sympathizers. It is they who appear in the SCI, who are officially the managers in regard to the administrations. But in fact, they are no more than figureheads because the real estate and the businesses, in reality, belong to the Brotherhood. It is almost systematic: Beside each mosque, each school, and each establishment connected to the Muslim Brotherhood, you find not just one SCI, but several that gravitate around (it). It is true for the Verreoes school in Lille, the European Institute for Human Sciences (IESH) in Chateau-Clinon, or Syria Charity, etc.

- But how are all these purchases made? Is it solely through donations by the faithful in the mosques?

-Of course not. All of these operations are done in cash. The use of cash evades all control. The donations are mixed with the money coming from outside, mainly the Gulf countries. I will give you a concrete example: In a mosque, the imam announces a project. He turns to a Muslim, a small businessman, for example, and he says to him in front of the whole assemblage: "You, you can give at least 10,000 or 15,000 euros." The designated person then complies. However, when you know a little about the finances of this grocer, his lifestyle, you know that he is incapable of coming up with such a sum. In fact, he is content to give back to the mosque the money that this same mosque previously gave him in all discretion. For the trouble-because he is himself completely (involved) in a money laundering operation, he will, perhaps, keep a small commission for himself. 

- How is it that the (tax police) don't stick their noses into this money laundering?

-There are two periods. Before and after the 2015 attacks. Before 2015, the Muslim Brotherhood had succeeded in that the authorities had equated the Muslim religion with Islamist ideology. The Brotherhood passed as the legitimate interlocutor of power. There had been no investigation in the mosques, as there had been none in the churches, the temples, or the synagogues. The few researchers and journalists who denounced radical Islam were singled out, and presented as extremists, people who saw evil everywhere, as Islamophobes. Certainly, the agencies had already written reports, but the politicians did not want to see them due to certain connections with Arab countries.

-Did the 2015 attacks permit the authorities to (finally) open their eyes?

All of a sudden, faced with the horror of the attacks, the Islamists' belly dance no longer seduced (them). We understood that the Muslim Brotherhood encouraged separatism, and was putting out hateful discourse against the values of France. As for me, I have been able to meet with people who have dared to complain about Iquioussen, who no longer described him as an irreproachable imam, but as a real estate developer, a slumlord, who rents unsanitary residences, (who is) implacable with vulnerable people. An individual a thousand leagues from the ideas he pretended to defend. 

- Thanks to a vast real estate stock, is the Brotherhood very rich in Europe?

-Absolutely. The goal is that in the years to come, the Muslim Brotherhood will have no further need of money from Muslim countries, primarily, the Gulf countries in order to develop themselves. Their own resources will suffice. I have no figures, but I suspect that their war chest is already gigantic. Hasson Iquioussen now has the tax authorities on his heels as Le Canard enchaine writes. Controls must be expanded, and the fiscal agencies must question all the figureheads as to the origin of their funds. 

-Bio Express

Born in 1978 in Casablanca, Mohamed Louizi is an engineer, with a degree in electrical engineering. Former member of the Attawihid wal'Isah movement and the PJD party in Morocco, then with the UOIF in France. He has notably been president of Muslim Students in France (an organization connected to the (French) branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in Lille.

He is notably the author of, "Why I left the Muslim Brotherhood: Enlightened return to apolitical Islam" (Michalon, 2017) and "The Republic at home, Islam at home" (Fauves editions, 2019).

 
• frères musulmans
• Iquioussen
• Mohamed Louizi

France: Moroccan Imam, Subject to Expulsion, on the Run

A few weeks ago, we reported that an imam in France, Hassan Iquioussen, was being deported to Morocco as a result of his incendiary rhetoric and hate speech directed at Jews. A judge temporarily suspended that order, but now France has been given the green light to deport the imam. However, he has apparently absconded.

The below article from today's Le Monde is translated by Fousesquawk.

https://www.lemonde.fr/societe/article/2022/08/30/expulsion-de-l-imam-iquioussen-vers-le-maroc-le-conseil-d-etat-donne-son-aval_6139517_3224.html

Imam Hassan Iquioussen can be expelled to Morocco, the Council of State having given its approval

The Minister of Interior had asked to have lifted an administrative order of suspension of the expulsion request for this preacher, accused of  giving "a speech with anti-Semitic content."

Le Monde

Posted today at 15:32, updated at 17:41.

Caption: The president of the association that runs the Escaudain Mosque, near Valenciennes, Hassan Isquioussen (at left) along with a preacher, 18 June 2004- FRANCOIS LO PRESTI / AFP

Imam Hassan Iquioussen is on the run and has been placed on the list of wanted persons, a source close to the case reported to Agence France-Presse on the evening of Tuesday, August 30.

Earlier in the day, the Council of State, the highest French administrative jurisdiction, had given its green light to his expulsion to Morocco, after a request from the Interior Minister, Gerald Darmanin, against a ruling from the administrative tribunal of Paris suspending the expulsion of the preacher.  The police proceeded to the residence of the Moroccan imam in Lourches, near Valenciennes (North) to arrest him. But they could not find him, according to a source close to the case, who raised the possibility he is in Belgium. 

On July 28, the Minister of the Interior had issued an order for expulsion aimed at Mr. Iquioussen due to "a proselytizing speech interspersed with remarks inciting hate and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of the Republic."

Petitioned by Mr Iquioussen's lawyers, the Paris administrative tribunal has suspended this extradition demand in early August, arguing that the expulsion of the imam, born in France 58 years ago, but with Moroccan nationality, would pose a "disproportionate attack on his private and family life".

"Explicit and deliberate acts of provocation of discrimination"

The Interior Minister particularly criticized the imam (for) "a particularly virulent anti-Semitic speech," and his sermons advocating the "submission " of women "in favor of men". The expulsion order also referred to the encouragement of "separatism" and "contempt for certain Republican values, such as secularism and the functioning democracy of the French society."

In his decision, the interim judge of the Council of State rules that "his anti-Semitic remarks, going back several years, during numerous widely disseminated conferences, as well as statements on the inferiority of women and submission to men constitute explicit and deliberate acts of provocation to discrimination and hate, justifying the expulsion decision. He (judge) also rules that this decision does not pose a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the private and family life of Mr Iquioussen," the highest administrative jurisdiction explains in its statement.

In a tweet posted just before the press release by the Council of State, the Interior Minister stated that this decision was, "a great victory for the Republic". "He will be expelled from France. Once arrested, he will be placed in an administrative detention center," Mr Darmanin stated early this evening from the steps of his ministry, noting that, "since 2017, 786 radicalized foreigners have been expelled," and that, "74 of them over the course of recent months." 

"The judicial fight continues"

The imam's lawyer, Luie Simon, reacted on Twitter claiming that this decision symbolized, "a weakened rule of law," and deplored, "an alarming context of executive pressure upon the judiciary," adding: 

"The judicial fight continues, the administrative tribunal will have to look into the basis of the case next, and Hassan Iquioussen is studying the possibility of again petitioning the CEDH (European Court of Human Rights)".  

The CEDH had refused to suspend the expulsion in early August, stating that it only granted provisional measures of suspension "in exceptional circumstances," when the petitioner was exposed to a, "real risk of irreparable damages". 

France: Fugitive Imam Nabbed in Belgium

We have previously reported on the flight of Imam Hassan Iquioussen from France in order to avoid an expulsion order. This came as a result of the imam's history of inflammatory remarks about Jews and others in his sermons. Today, it is announced that Iquioussen has been arrested near Mons, Belgium. 

The below article from today's Le Figaro is translated by Fousesquawk. 

https://www.lefigaro.fr/faits-divers/l-imam-hassan-iquioussen-arrete-en-belgique-20220930

Imam Hassan Iquioussen, subject of a European arrest warrant, arrested in Belgium

The Moroccan preacher, on the run, is charged in France for remarks deemed contrary to the values of the Republic.

Imam Hassan Iquioussen, subject of a European arrest warrant submitted by the French judiciary, has been arrested in Belgium, the Belgian Justice Minister informed Agence France Presse. "I can confirm to you that he was arrested today by the police," declared Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne.

The preacher, charged in France for remarks contrary to the values of the Republic, is under an expulsion order signed July 28 by Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin. The preacher, born in France 58 years ago, but of Moroccan nationality, is classified S (for state security) by the DGSI (General Directorate for Internal Security) since 18 months ago, according to (Darmanin).  

Charged for remarks deemed contrary to the values of the Republic, he could not be located by the police at his residence in Lourches, near Valenciennes after the issuance of the expulsion order by the Counsel of State. He was then subject of a European arrest warrant issued by an investigating judge in Valenciennes (North), for "evading the execution of a separation ruling". The next day, the Nord (North) Prefect explained during a press conference that the imam was then considered "delinquent" because he was in flight.

Proselytizing speech

The expulsion order reproaches him for "a proselytizing speech interspersed with remarks inciting hatred and discrimination and carrying a vision of Islam contrary to the values of the Republic," His YouTube channel is followed by 178,000 subscribers.

His lawyer, Attorney Lucie Simon, is particularly contesting the validity of the arrest warrant targeting him, maintaining that it is based "on an infraction," which is, according to her, "not constituted". "Why look for him? Why do they want to bring him back?" she wondered at the beginning of September. 

Judicial fighting

According to the French Interior Minister, it is now up to the Belgian judiciary to turn (Iquioussen) over to France in execution of the arrest order. The process of returning the imam to France could take several weeks if (Iquioussen) contests it.

Between judicial wrangling and media battles, the debates surrounding the imam have fed French news since the beginning of August beginning with the announcement of his expulsion to Morocco, then suspended by the Paris Administrative Tribunal, which judged that it would "interfere disproportionately with his private and family life."

He had been hit with an initial polemic in 2004, (accused of) remarks deemed anti-Semitic in a speech about Palestine. (Iquioussen) had then acknowledged "inappropriate remarks" and apologized. His name has since regularly reappeared in the press and in public debate. 

Born in France, he had decided when he came of age not to opt for French nationality. He claims to have renounced (French citizenship) at age 17 under the influence of his father and later attempted in vain to recover it. His 5 children and 15 grandchildren are established in northern France: One son is an imam in Raismes, and another is a former elected PS (Socialist Party) at Lourches.