The Belgian government has withdrawn the right to residency from the Imam of the country’s largest mosque after dubbing him a “threat to national security.”
According to Belgium’s oldest English-language newspaper, The Bulletin, Imam Mohamed Toujgani from Morocco became a figure of controversy in 2019 after a 10-year-old video surfaced of him calling for Jews to be burned.
https://twitter.com/AdamMilstein/status/1481802819267137538
Many in Belgium also reportedly viewed Toujani as opposed to integration, as he had failed to learn either Dutch or French – the main languages spoken in Belgium – despite living in the country for years.
According to Sammy Mahdi, Belgium’s Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration, the government had other indications that this individual “threaten(s) our national security.”
“We want to send a signal: whoever sows hatred, divides our society and poses a threat to our security is not welcome in our country – not today, not in the years to come,” Mahdi said in a statement.
“In the past, we have given too much leeway to radical preachers. This man was probably the most influential preacher in Belgium. With this decision, we are making a difference and giving a clear signal that we will not tolerate those who divide and threaten our national security.”
Mahdi also tweeted: “He once preached the burning of all Jews,” Mahdi tweeted. “Diplomatically not the easiest decision, but in the interest of our safety the only right one I could take.”
Predikte ooit nog de verbranding van alle joden. Niets te zoeken in ons land.
Diplomatiek niet de gemakkelijkste beslissing, maar in het belang van onze veiligheid de enige juiste die ik kon nemen 👇https://t.co/b6TJNoMGjh
— Sammy Mahdi (@SammyMahdi) January 13, 2022
Notably, Mahdi himself was born to a Belgian mother and an Iraqi refugee father.
Toujgani, who has a wife and child in Belgium, has been ordered to leave the state, as he does not have Belgian nationality. He has also been banned from re-entering the country for the next 10 years.
Residence permit for controversial imam withdrawn due to national security threathttps://t.co/MCKeIZ9ut1 pic.twitter.com/xb4TYccJAy
— The Bulletin (@_TheBulletin) January 14, 2022