In France, the Council of State examines this Friday August 26 the file of Imam Hassan Iquioussen, Moroccan born in France, targeted by an expulsion order signed by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin, who considers that he is radicalized. And the French press is publishing new information this Friday: the Imam and the minister have known each other for several years.
Gérald Darmanin accuses the preacher of sexist and anti-Semitic remarks during these sermons. The administrative court of Paris had suspended the expulsion at the beginning of August of Imam Iquioussen. The minister had appealed this decision because he considers that Imam Iquioussen is radicalized. What we learn today is that the two have known each other for a while.
Imam Hassan Iquioussen and Gérald Darmanin are both from the North. The imam comes from Denain and the minister from Tourcoing. The newspaper The Parisian reveals the heritage of the preacher: dozens of homes acquired almost 20 years ago and in particular a villa bought from one of the uncles of the Minister of the Interior. Gérald Darmanin says he is not aware.
Another revelation, this time from the site Mediapart : the imam and the minister would have eaten at the same table, with a dozen guests, pizzas according to the memory of some of them. This dates back to the municipal campaign in 2014 in Tourcoing, Gérald Darmanin, then UMP candidate, thinks he can win over the Muslim electorate. In particular, he says he has the same opinions on gay marriage.
At that time, could Gérald Darmanin ignore the controversies already surrounding the preacher? Médiapart specifies that neither the Ministry of the Interior, nor the organizer of the evening, a prominent member of the Muslim community, wished to answer the question.
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