Belgium Strips Residency of Imam of Largest Mosque Over Security Concerns

The Belgian government has stripped the residency permit of the chief imam of the Al Khalil Grand Mosque in Molenbeek Mohamed Toujgani over concerns relating to national security issues.

Belgian Secretary of State for Asylum and Migration Sammy Mahdi announced this week that the government has stripped Imam Toujgani’s residency permit in light of concerns raised by the country’s security services who claimed that the imam showed signs of being a serious risk to Belgian national security.

The government has issued a notice for Toujgani, a Moroccan national, to leave the country and told him that he would not be allowed back in Belgium for the next ten years. According to Belgian media, the imam has already left the country, Sudinfo reports.

As Imam of the largest mosque in the entire country, Toujgani — who had been in Belgium since 1982 — was said to be highly influential in the Muslim community of Brussels.

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Despite living in the country for decades, Toujgani had never bothered to learn to speak French or Dutch, the two main languages spoken in Belglium.

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