France deports Salafist preacher accused of 'radicalising Muslims' to Algeria

The French government has deported an Algerian Salafist preacher who was accused of glorifying terrorism, French media reported on Wednesday.

Abderrahim Sayah, who founded the As-Sunnah mosque in Hautmont which was shut down by authorities in 2018, was deported to Algeria on instructions from the Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin.

Darmanin hailed the move, announcing in a tweet on Wednesday that since 2017 "850 extremist foreigners have been deported".

Depuis 2017, grâce à l’action des services @Interieur_Gouv, ce sont 850 étrangers radicalisés qui ont été expulsés. https://t.co/akzZCHwdpj

— Gérald DARMANIN (@GDarmanin) June 14, 2023

Sayah, who arrived in France at age of five and has six children, founded the religious association Assalem in 2014 and opened the As-Sunnah mosque in Hautmont through the organisation.

According to authorities, he was considered as the leader of Salafism in the Sambre region in 2016, known "for promoting Salafist Wahhabi Islam" according to the the expulsion order.

Sayah "actively participated in the events that led to the closure of the place of worship" and "contributed to the radicalisation" of a neighbourhood in Maubeuge, the order said.

He denied the allegations, describing himself as a "man of peace" with only an "administrative role" in the mosque.

However, he was arrested in December by French authorities and placed in an administrative detention centre.

Sayah was found to be advocating for "armed jihad" and "violence" towards "Jews and Christians" in sermons held in the mosque, sometimes to an audience of nearly 200 people, the order said.

During a court hearing in September in Lille, the prefecture highlighted Sayah's connections with radicalised individuals, including an alleged jihadist from Hautmont who reportedly died in Iraq.

France, which is home to Europe’s largest Muslim community, has increased its targeting of the religious minority, by raiding and closing down mosques and Islamic associations, as well as implementing a controversial "anti-separatism" bill.

The proposed law aims to counter "separatism" in French society but has been slammed by activists for unfairly discriminating against France’s Muslims, who number at least 3.35 million.