The imam of the Bleuets mosque in Marseille, Smaïn Bendjilali, announced this Monday, September 9, during a press conference that he was temporarily withdrawing from his religious duties. He will be tried for condoning terrorism on October 3.
“I am going through a family tragedy (…), I need to refocus on myself, my wife and my children. So I have decided to temporarily withdraw,” declared Smaïn Bendjilali, imam of the Bleuets mosque in Marseille, on Monday, September 9.
He said he wanted to resume his studies and obtain a university degree on secularism. The imam then denounced the accusations of apology for terrorism targeting the place of worship, which is subject to administrative closure proceedings. “We have always fought all forms of terrorism and have never supported any group that claims to be Islamic, we have been very clear about that, it is one of our common fights.”
Prosecuted for apology for terrorism following publications linked to the situation in the Gaza Strip, he will be tried on October 3.
“Nothing can be blamed on the mosque anymore”
A meeting with the imam, his lawyers and the president of the mosque took place on Monday, September 2 at the Bouches-du-Rhône prefecture. On this occasion, several proposals were made to the state representative to avoid sanctions: the withdrawal of the publications targeted by the prefecture, the affiliation of the mosque to the CDCM (departmental council of the Muslim faith) and the registration of the imam in the university diploma Secularism and values of the Republic.
“On September 4, we received a letter from the prefecture telling us that these measures were insufficient and that only the withdrawal of Imam Ismail could produce sufficient effects,” said one of his lawyers.
The association has therefore opted for a transitional solution. For the next nine months, Smaïn Bendjilali will therefore be nothing more than a “simple worshipper”. The lawyers believe that the temporary withdrawal should not yet prevent the closure of the mosque: “how can one justify closing a mosque for an imam who is no longer there?”
His defense denounces relentlessness
The imam’s lawyer, Rafik Chekkat, denounced “express justice when it suits him”, pointing out the speed with which his client had been summoned.
“We have a denunciation from the police prefect against Imam Ismail, for tweets and retweets, which they call apology for terrorism (…) We have hundreds of procedures that have been launched for apology for terrorism against people who denounce the massacres that are currently taking place in Gaza while those who participate in these massacres benefit from total impunity.”
