BBC: France 'to expel radical imams'

BBC ^ | Friday, 15 July, 2005, 22:39 GMT 23:39 UK | staff

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

France 'to expel radical imams'

Sarkozy said preaching incitement would not be tolerated

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy has vowed to deport any Muslim cleric preaching violence.

Speaking after meeting his Spanish counterpart in Madrid, Mr Sarkozy said he would seek the expulsion of imams in France "whose sermons are radical".

Mr Sarkozy said France and Spain had agreed tougher joint measures against Islamic militancy.

Two days ago, France reimposed border controls with its EU neighbours following the London bombings.

Call for unity

After meeting Spanish Interior Minister Jose Antonio Alonso, Mr Sarkozy told reporters radical preaching would no longer be tolerated in France.

We must never allow ourselves to give them the satisfaction of a division between us Nicolas Sarkozy French interior minister

"The [French] republic is not a weak regime and it does not have to accept speech which on the pretext that it is happening in a place of worship calls for hate and murder.

"Those who persist in this way will systematically be the object of an expulsion procedure."

Over the past decade France has expelled several foreign-born Muslim preachers after accusing them of abusing their positions by inciting violence.

The minister said Western countries must unite in the fight against al-Qaeda.

"I know of only one policy against these people - firmness, arresting them, punishing them, penalising them, in Madrid, London, New York, everywhere.

"We must never allow ourselves to give them the satisfaction of a division between us," he said.

Mr Sarkozy said he and Mr Alonso had agreed to strengthen co-operation in the fight against Islamic militancy.

France has stepped up security measures in the light of the London bombings, including restoring border controls with its EU neighbours.

On Thursday, French President Jacques Chirac warned that no country was immune from terrorist attacks.

"These terrorists have a mentality, a psychological state that is different from our own. All efforts must be made to fight against terrorism," he said.

[Valin]

We'll see.

[followerofchrist]

Will we expel the Aztlan Meshicos?

[followerofchrist]

"Won't that just make the terrorists mad and cause them to increase their attacks?</European Logic>"

It's intersting how American patriotism manifests itself these days--the same way Rome's did during the latter part of their empire. We're better than you, neiner neiner neiner, and we hate all of you unless you obey our directives.

American logic: Bomb them (we'll watch on tv as we drink beer and eat hot dogs) and suicide bombers will be afraid they'll be killed, hence decrease their attacks. The Patriot Act prevents them from hurting us. Why, security is so good now, they can't hop on a train or walk into a mall and blow it up. Geez Louise, why can't Israel "prevent attacks" the way we have?

Answer. Because they haven't set their sights back on us.
They can hit us, at any time, and regradless of the undemocratic measure we take, we cannot stop this with force and security alone.

Why haven't they attacked us again? It is apparant they are taking a western tour. When they decide to hit us again, they will, so maybe we should stop acting arrogantly and as if other nations are idiots and we are so purely perfect. We do need to unite against this and find a solution instead of trying to ridicule and bully other western nations into being followers of our directives. We are vulnerable and we do need help. I personally think Bush is an idiot. I wouldn't hitch my horse to his wagon for all the tax breaks in the world. He can make stupid repetitive Orwellian statements all he wants, but I am watching his other moves, and unless the border is protected and oil and interventionism policy is adjusted, his "war on terror" is useless. Sorry, but that's the truth.

[GOPJ]

Important point:

Between Merkel and Sarkozy, we are going to be seeing big changes taking place on the continent.

Funny how the media portrays Bush, Blair and Howard as goats for getting the West into Iraq and for aggressively fighting the war on terror, yet they all won reelection. Meanwhile, the MSM hero's - anti-American's Schroeder and Chirac are viewed as failures by their own people and would be turned out tomorrow if the public had anything to do with it.

[JustAnotherOkie]

They won't do it.

Just a hint of a threat of terrorism and the french will fold.

They have gone too far in their appeasement program. Hell, they can't even keep their old people from dying of heat stroke.

[JustAnotherOkie]

Not much if you blow it up.

[GOPJ]

You're right, Chirac has made the French look bad. It'd be nice if Sarkozy could turn things around.

"The French" aren't as bad as Chirac has made them these past few years. But Sarkozy is ethnically Hungarian, so that may have something to do with it.

[montag813]

"The [French] republic is not a weak regime and it does not have to accept speech which on the pretext that it is happening in a place of worship calls for hate and murder.

An obvious swipe at Tony Blair, and Blair deserves it. The Brits have tolerated open calls for Blair's murder and terrorism in their streets for far too long. Instead of Scotland Yard asking for Imams to work with them, they should be throwing them on the next flight out.

[JustAnotherOkie]

Wouldn't it be great to see france of all people violating people's civil right to reign terror?

[VeniVidiVici]

Mr Sarkozy said he would seek the expulsion of imams in France "whose sermons are radical".

Sorry. May sound harsh but expelling them would simply drive the remaining ones underground.

They should just simply disappear.

[Freedom of Speech Wins]

Expulsion is better than nothing, but it isn't a solution. It just moves them elsewhere where they can influence new people who can immigrate or strike elsewhere.

[McGavin999]

This guy is incredible. I hope the french are smart enough to elect him to replace Chirac.

[Ernest_at_the_Beach]

WE need a big island, and then use like Britain used Australia.

[McGavin999]

Sarkozy said they would face "expulsion" and also that they would be "punished." I don't view these as the same things.

Depends on where they are expelled to. A lot of these guys have claimed refugee status because their home countries are seeking them for terrorist activity.

[OKIEDOC]

Yes you are absolutely correct.

I wonder why the liberals in this country persists on putting our citizens at risk.

Do they want to keep up the pretense of political correctness.

As much as I dislike what the French have done they are at least doing what we should be doing.

The risk is to great for us not to be TIGHTENING THE SOUTHERN AND NORTHERN BORDERS.

[sonofatpatcher2]

Re: ""The [French] republic is not a weak regime and it does not have to accept speech which on the pretext that it is happening in a place of worship calls for hate and murder."

Holey Merde! That's what we've been trying to tell the Frogies for years...

Le Français peut embrasser mon grand âne de shiney!

[OKIEDOC]

Ugh, aren't you posting on the wrong forum.

I think your probably trying to be well meaning.

However, the cowardly pacifists anti-American liberals (Democrats) in this country will someday get a lot of Americans needlessly killed.

Why? Because they want to bury their heads and hope the savage terrorists go away.

[followerofchrist]

"Ugh, aren't you posting on the wrong forum."

No, unless this is an exercise in political cheerleading, rather than discussion amongst free thiking individuals. I tried a liberal forum and they banned me after a week.

"However, the cowardly pacifists anti-American liberals (Democrats) in this country will someday get a lot of Americans needlessly killed."

I think Bush and other interventionists already have. As Pat Buchanon said tonight, they are over here because we are over there. This would not have happened if we weren't pursuing 'empire.'
Many conservatives and independents are anti-interventionist. You may label them as liberals, but that kind of peer pressure doesn't work on independent thinkers. The republican party has gone neo-con, but it doesn't mean traditional conservatives will follow along. Pat said terrorism is like a cancer, and now it has metastisized because of the war in Iraq, which I don't believe had anything to do with terrorism originally. Now you have insurgents you call terrorists because they don't want us there. The line blurs. Anyone who opposes the US running their country is a terrorist or one who sympathizes? Now, many of you don't like Pat anymore, because he doesn't follow the neo-con line and wimp out when under pressure from neo-cons to cave in, but he has more sense than all the neo-cons put together. When someone says something that makes sense, listen, rather than trying to make your theories fit. This is a complicated issue that can't be resolved with one solution.

"Why? Because they want to bury their heads and hope the savage terrorists go away."

Some people pick and choose their battles, and do their best to support policies that don't provoke resentment, such as our constant meddling in other nations' affairs. I support them, regardless of their "party" or "political identity." This American empire building began LONG before terrorism and resistance to American global hegemony. What do we expect when we sent coverts overseas to overthrow people's governments and use any and all means to control other people's resources? People will resist and I don't blame them because I would do the same. They don't trust our government's motives, nor do I.

[infowarrior]

The left thinks Jerry Falwell and Pat Robertson are radical and they would be the first to be expelled under a Janet Reno led DOJ if we had this law here in the U.S.

The left is so fearful of a hypothetical Christian theocracy in the US that they are willing to make common cause with very real theocrats, from the Middle East, who are accustomed to wielding that kind of power, and who make the aforementioned Messrs Robertson and Falwell look like John Shelby Spong... Go figure...

the infowarrior

[FreedomCalls]

Amazing isn't it?