The expulsion by France of Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen, accused of radicalism, hatred of women and anti-Semitism, has caused a problem between Paris and Rabat by not accepting the return of the preacher. All this is due, according to media close to the Government, to the restriction of visas to Moroccans who intend to travel to France, although it may also be related to the potential “danger” of the aforementioned imam.
“Political circles and the press in France were unanimously satisfied that Morocco had granted a pass to Hassan Iquioussen to access the national territory and were only waiting for the green light from the Council of State, the highest French administrative court, to see him extradited to the Kingdom”, points out Le360, a medium that knows what is going on in the Rabat Government.
Once the permission was granted, the extradition did not take place. The Moroccan authorities have not yet given their consent to issue a “laissez-passer” (entry permit), an essential key to the expulsion of Hassan Iquioussen.
“The consular services processed the request from the French authorities for the first time following a bureaucratic procedure, while any decision required a political consultation with Rabat. In this sense, a letter from the consular services was sent to the French authorities to express to them that the expulsion of Iquioussen to Morocco was no longer on the agenda after the suspension of him by the Paris administrative court, ”adds the digital.
And adds: The French State’s decision to halve the visas granted to Moroccans largely explains the Moroccan authorities’ reservations about responding favorably to the French request. The French State decided in September 2021 to put pressure on Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia, reducing visas by half for the first two countries and a third for the last, for refusing to welcome their nationals expelled from French territory.
Consular cooperation is not à la carte and therefore cannot be extremely urgent when it comes to French interests, while aspects related to Morocco’s interests can wait, underlines.
But there is something more serious: the policy of pressure, followed by France in this file, is dangerous for the relationship between the two countries and questions the very nature of the association that unites them. “It is one thing to request the intervention of a colleague to solve a problem, whether it is related to illegal immigration, unaccompanied minors, people on an S file (anti-terrorism). Another is to believe that by pressing we can get what we want from him.”
Considering pressure as a lever to present a partner is a move that is detrimental to the relationship between France and Morocco. For the sake of this relationship, we should not agree to give in to pressure from certain parties in France, concludes,
Imam Hassan Iquioussen, 50, was born, raised and spent his entire life in France. He does not have French nationality, but all five of his children and fifteen of his grandchildren are French. His lawyer says that he is considering going to the European Court of Human Rights. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin, who took to Twitter to announce his expulsion, synonymous for him with “a great victory for the Republic”, you should temper your enthusiasmemphasizes Le360.
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