French authorities deported an Algerian-born imam accused of preaching radical Islam after an administrative court in western France ruled he had violated the terms of his stay. Abdelkader Yahia Cherif, 34, was expelled by boat on Thursday after the court in the western city of Rennes rejected his plea that he would face danger at home, officials in the Brittany region said.
| "It's the opinion of this learned court that it's better for you to face danger at home than for us, meaning all of La Belle France, to face danger with your fat ass here. Next case!" |
The Interior Ministry said the imam gave a speech last month that urged jihad, or holy war, and expressed support for the March 11 railway bombings in Madrid, Spain, that killed 191 people. Regional authorities on April 5 sought to expel the imam, who had lived and preached in the Atlantic coastal city of Brest for the last several years, for "proselytizing in favor of radical Islam." However, the imam was deported because his application for political asylum was rejected last week and his residence permit had expired, the officials said. Defense lawyer David Rajjou said he would appeal, but that process wouldn’t suspend the expulsion order. |