The Belgian Minister of State for Asylum and Immigration, Nicole de Moore, announced today, Wednesday, the placement of the Moroccan imam Hassan Ekoissen - whom the French authorities are demanding his extradition - in a closed center with the aim of deporting him from Belgian territory, which his lawyers considered a "scandal".

The Belgian government stated that the imam resides illegally in Belgium and does not intend to stay there.

Minister de Moore said - in a statement - that "the man lost his right to reside in France, and he must return to his country of origin," explaining that he was "placed in a closed center for return, in order to deport him from Belgian territory."

The Belgian minister added that Ekoissen "does not give any indication that he wishes to return voluntarily, and the French authorities are still demanding this person in order to be able to return him to Morocco," noting that "he does not have a permit to reside on Belgian soil."

The announcement of the expulsion came after the Belgian judiciary refused to hand over the Moroccan imam to French justice under a European arrest warrant.

French charge

Imam Ekoissen's lawyers believe that the charge brought by France against their client (evading implementation of the deportation decision) does not exist in Belgian law, which is a condition for the European arrest warrant to be implemented.

And the Belgian judiciary refused - yesterday, Tuesday - for the second time to extradite the imam to France under a European arrest warrant, and the court confirmed a decision issued by the Tournai Court of First Instance on October 21 last.

And the imam's French lawyer, Lucy Simon, considered - in a tweet on Twitter - that keeping her client in a closed center with the aim of deporting him is "a complete scandal," expressing her hope that the position of the political authority in this case would be contrary to the judiciary.

Simone accused the Belgian immigration authorities of "agreing with the court" in order for the file to take an administrative course.

On September 30, the Belgian authorities arrested the Moroccan imam, Hassan Ekoissen, who is being prosecuted by France, because of his statements that were considered "contrary to the values ​​of the republic."

The imam has been in hiding since the French State Council decided to allow his expulsion at the end of last August, and then a European arrest warrant was issued against him on charges of "evading the implementation of the deportation decision."

And French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanan announced - at the end of last July - that the intelligence services had expelled this preacher.

The decree, which was signed by the minister, explained the decision by issuing statements about Ekwesen that "incite hatred and discrimination, and carry a vision of Islam that is contrary to the values ​​of the republic."

In an interview published by the French daily Le Parisien, Imam Equestin admitted that in the past he may have made "inappropriate statements and some misleading statements".

"I am ready to accept the blame and to be judged," he said at the time. "I am ready to be found guilty, because I must have said things for which I am condemned. But to be expelled from the place where I was born, where I have always lived, is like uprooting a tree."

Beginning of the story

It is noteworthy that Imam Ekuesen sparked controversy for the first time in 2004, due to statements that were considered anti-Semitic, in a speech he delivered on Palestine, and he later admitted that his "comments were inappropriate" and apologized.


His name reappeared regularly in the press and in public debates.

178,000 participants follow his channel on the YouTube platform, through which he delivers lessons and sermons on Islam in daily life, in which he addresses issues of poverty, violence, and others.

Equissen was born in France, and when he reached the age of majority, he decided not to request French citizenship, and he says that he abandoned it at the age of 17 under the influence of his father, then tried to regain it, but to no avail. As for his five children and 15 grandchildren, they are French and reside in northern France.