The Times of India

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 16, 2003

France threatens to expel extremist Islamic leaders

AP

PARIS: Worried by the growth of Islamic fundamentalism in France, the
country's interior minister has threatened to expel any foreign Muslim
religious leader who disseminates extremist propaganda.

Nicolas Sarkozy issued the warning after the unexpectedly strong showing of
a Muslim fundamentalist party in weekend elections for a new council to
represent France's various Islamic factions and serve as a link to the
government.

The Union of Islamic Organizations of France -- inspired by Egypt's banned
fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood -- took 19 seats in the 58-seat council in
a vote Sunday. The moderate, Algerian-backed Mosque of Paris, which had been
considered a favourite, won just 15 seats.

"We want to say very simply: imams who propagate views that run counter to
French values will be expelled," he told Europe-1 radio on Tuesday. A
majority of Muslim leaders in France are of foreign nationality, according
to the interior ministry.

Sarkozy, a no-nonsense law-and-order minister who was instrumental in
creating the council, said he was determined to curb the influence of
extremism on one of Europe's largest Muslim communities.

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