“I was in no way talking about the French flag,” defends Mahjoub Mahjoubi

Exclusively on France Bleu Gard Lozère, Monday, the imam of Gard accused of calls to hatred evokes a slip of the tongue.

While Gérald Darmanin requested the withdrawal of the residence permit of a Tunisian imam from Gard, accused of calls to hatred, Mahjoub Mahjoubi explains himself, Monday February 19, exclusively on France Bleu Gard Lozère. He speaks of a slip of the tongue. “The video in its entirety and the subject have nothing to do with this propaganda and the amalgamation that we are making,” he explains.

“I was in no way talking about the French flag. I was talking about a very specific community which is the Maghreb community, and especially the CAN (Editor’s note: the African Cup of Nations)because I’m talking about stadiums, and all these flags that we raise in stadiums and which divide Muslims.”

“I have always defended the Republic”

In a first video relayed on social networks, the imam of Bagnols-sur-Cèze, Mahjoub Mahjoubi, describes in particular the “tricolour flag” of “satanic flag” which does not have “no value with Allah”. It does not specify that it is the French flag.

He adds : “I made a slip of the tongue, it’s not a mistake, because an error is voluntary. I made a slip of the tongue in my speech because I’m not Voltaire, nor Victor Hugo unfortunately. Instead to say all these multicolored or different colored flags, I said tricolors”.

“I have always defended the Republic, he still insists on FB Gard Lozère. For years, I have been praised because I defend the Republic, I defend blasphemy, I defended Samuel Paty (..) and there, I slip on the word tricolor, and they shoot me down, they ask my expulsion”.

The Rector of the Grand Mosque of Paris expressed his deep dismay at the comments made by Imam Mahjoub Mahjoubi, reporting an attitude contrary to the values ​​of tolerance and respect advocated by Islam.