Imam Yashar Ali, an Iraqi political refugee accused of using a âsocio-cultural centerâ in northwest Paris, to make strong anti-American speeches and disseminate radical teachings by video conferences, has been arrested and told that he will be sent back to Baghdad.
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He is presently at a special penal retention center outside Paris. After two Algerian Imams, and a Turk, Yashar Ali is the fourth âradicalâ imam to be expelled from France for preaching extremist views. Police recently said that they would expel controversial imams and that the number might go as high as thirty. According to police, Yashar Ali was warned a year ago when he was preaching extremism in central France and placed under house arrest. French intelligence reports said that Yashar Ali was âsuspected of being in contact with fundamentalist Islamic movementsâ and âwas known for his virulent and aggressive sermonsâ which were aimed especially against the âcoalition forces in Iraq in general and against the United States in particular.â Yashar Ali was known to âexhort the faithful to avenge the deaths of their Muslim brothers in Iraq.â |