Posted on 12/28/21
| News Source: i24
Imam 'targeting Christians, homosexuals and Jews' in his sermons
France ordered the closure of a mosque in the north of the country because of the radical nature of its imam's preaching, regional authorities said on Tuesday.
The mosque in Beauvais, a town of 50,000 people some 62 miles north of Paris, will remain shut for six months, according to the prefecture of the Oise region where Beauvais is located.
It said the sermons there incite hatred, violence and "defend jihad."
The move on the mosque, which has a congregation of about 400, comes two weeks after Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said he triggered the procedure to close the site because the imam there "is targeting Christians, homosexuals and Jews" in his sermons. This, the minister said, was "unacceptable."
Local authorities were legally bound to observe a 10-day period of information-gathering before taking action, but said on Tuesday that the mosque would now be shut within two days.
Local daily Courrier Picard reported this month that the mosque's imam was a recent convert to Islam.
A lawyer for the association managing the mosque told AFP that it had filed for an injunction to overturn the ban.
The lawyer, Samim Bolaky, said there would be a court hearing on the appeal within 48 hours.