Sarkozy to bar some Imams from entering France

(Malaysian Digest) – President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Monday he would bar some Muslim preachers from entering France to participate in an Islamic conference next month as part of a crackdown after shootings by an al Qaeda-inspired gunman, reported Reuters.

Sarkozy, who is campaigning for reelection, has also announced plans to punish people viewing Islamist websites and going abroad for indoctrination since the killings.

“I have clearly indicated that there are certain people who have been invited to this congress who are not welcome on French soil,” Sarkozy told France Info radio.

He cited Sheikh Youssef al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian cleric based in Qatar who is one of the most prominent Sunni Muslim clerics in the Arab world and a household name in the Middle East due to regular appearances on the Al Jazeera news channel.

A former member of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, Qaradawi is independent of the group but remains close to it. Sarkozy said the situation was complicated because the imam holds a diplomatic passport and does not require a visa to enter France.

“I indicated to the Emir of Qatar himself that this person was not welcome on the territory of the French republic,” Sarkozy said. “He will not come.”

Ahmed Jaballah, the president of the Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF) which is organizing the conference, told Reuters he regretted Sarkozy’s decision, saying Qaradawi had already visited France various times.

“This is a great, learned Muslim known for his moderation and balance,” Jaballah said.

Qaradawi was denied a visa to visit Britain in 2008 for seeking to “justify acts of terrorist violence or disburse views that could foster inter-community violence”, a Home Office spokeswoman said at the time. The cleric had defended Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel and attacks on US-led coalition forces in Iraq.