The words of imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi of Bagnols-sur-Cèze unanimously condemned by public opinion

L'imam de Bagnols-sur-Cèze Mahjoub Mahjoubi dirige la mosquée At-Tawba. Midi Libre – Chloé Lopez

L'imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi est au cœur d'un tourbillon médiatique provoqué par des propos concernant "le drapeau tricolore". La mairie de Bagnols et le Conseil départemental de culte musulman du Gard réagissent avec fermeté.

It was a brutal awakening this Monday, February 19, for the town of Bagnols-sur-Cèze. The name of Mahjoub Mahjoubi, the imam of one of the city's mosques, fueled the news on national television channels. The cleric found himself in the spotlight for comments made in one of his sermons last week (see file on region page).

The mayor "trusts justice"

The affair was carefully observed at the Town Hall. Mayor Jean-Yves Chapelet published a press release in the morning concerning the request for the withdrawal of the residence permit of imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi. This decision was taken by the Minister of the Interior, Gérald Darmanin. "I have full confidence in the State and in the justice system to make the necessary decisions in this matter", writes the councilor. For the first magistrate of the   city ​​of bagnolaise "all offenses likely to disrupt public order must be sanctioned in a transparent manner."

"Comments are not admissible"

Contacted by Midi Libre, Jean-Yves Chapelet indicates having seen the video in which the imam qualified "the tricolor flag as a satanic flag&quot ;. And his comment is clear: "The comments are not admissible. I am a fervent Republican and I fight every day so that everyone in this city can live their faith. The State, justice, the prefect and the prosecutor will play their role. Justice is held in the courts."

The imam writes to the mayor

The imam indicated to Midi Libre that he had sent a message to Jean-Yves Chapelet to clarify his remarks. "J&amp You can hear his explanations, but he shouldn't have his defense from me. It will be dealt with in court. If the comments made are the right ones, they are unacceptable and I strongly condemn them. I have a thought for all the people who have a faith, whether they are Catholic, Protestant, Muslim or Jewish in this city. Their beliefs deserve better than this type of comment."

Firm condemnation of the CDCM

For its part, the Departmental Council of Muslim Worship of Gard"strongly condemns the unworthy remarks of the imam of Bagnols-sur-Cèze". "The flag of our country and its sovereignty are a red line", underlines the press release.  The e text of the CDCM du Gard also indicates that "French Muslims never accept words that call for hatred. They want peace for France. Living together is our motto. The Republic is our cradle. France is our country, concludes the press release.

"They want to shoot me down"

This event comes after a series of several months full of news on the mosque side. "I am certain that it's left school all that. I have the feeling that someone wants to shoot me down, says the imam. As a reminder, on November 8, the prefect of Gard, Jérôme Bonet, decided to close "the'Coranic school" located within the At-Tawba mosque after an inspection carried out by the departmental youth, engagement and sports service (SDJES). This visit made it possible to note that "the establishment had not completed the necessary formalities provided for by the texts in force and that the moral and physical health of minors was not ensured.

Trained at the Saudi Arabian school

The imam maintains: "We gave Arabic lessons. We learned about prayer and fasting during Ramadan, but we didn't impose anything. The official reason is administrative. It's in progress. We have undertaken work, we are waiting for the commission to validate this decision."

The religious lived in Le Pontet before finally settling down in Bagnols-sur-Cèze. To become an imam, Mahjoub Mahjoubi said he trained alone at the  #39;school of saudi arabia. He has always presented himself as a champion of interreligious dialogue and the strengthening of social bonds. In 2018, he hosted a conference on this topic in Bagnols-sur-Cèze.