Imam of Bagnols-sur-Cèze: “I cannot accept these comments. Thousands of people died for a tricolor flag”

Le Nîmois, Abdallah Zekri est le vice-président du Conseil français du culte musulman Midi Libre – Archive MICHAEL ESDOURRUBAILH

Nîmes Abdallah Zekri, vice-president of the French council of Muslim worship reacts to the comments made by the imam of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, suspected of apologizing for terrorism. 

Le Nimois, Abdallah Zekri, vice-president of the French council of Muslim worship and vice-president of the departmental council of Muslim worship of Gard contacted, in the morning, Mahjoub Mahjoubi, the iman of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, implicated in a case of apology for terrorism. 

Misinterpreted remarks

"I called him to ask him to explain. He told me that he was not talking about the tricolor flag but about multi-colored flags, not just tricolor flags, testifies Abdallah Zekri. He replied that the video had been cut and taken out of context. Or even that his words had been misinterpreted. Today, he is cloistered at home. He will send me the full video. I haven't seen it yet… He made this preaching when the African Cup of Nations (Can) was ending. The video, truncated according to him, was then broadcast by a polemicist on a television channel. In fact, all of this imam's sermons are circulating on social networks and anyone can retrieve them."

Abdallah Zekri, however, condemns the comments made by Mahjoud Mahjoubi. "I cannot accept these comments. Thousands of people have died for a tricolor flag, whatever it may be. In France, it is the French tricolor flag. You can't touch it. And football… is football. You can't mix everything."

Mahjoud Mahjoubi speaks at the mosque of Bagnols-sur-Cèze and that of Roquemaure. "Contrary to what he says, he is no longer the departmental vice-president of Muslim worship in Gard. He doesn't come to the meetings and he is no longer elected."

"France is our country"

This Monday, in the morning, Driss Elmoudni, president of the departmental council of the Muslim religion of Gard, for his part, strongly condemned "the unworthy remarks of the ;#39;imam of Bagnols-sur-Cèze. The flag of our country and its sovereignty is a red line. French Muslims never accept words that call for hatred. French Muslims want peace for France. Living together is our motto. The Republic is our cradle. France is our country.

The Nîmes public prosecutor's office announced this Monday morning that an investigation into acts of apology for terrorism would be opened.