An Iraqi Muslim cleric who preached at a mosque outside Paris has been detained for violating a house arrest order, French judicial sources say. Yashar Ali was taken into custody on Monday in Argenteuil, north-west of the French capital. Mr Ali was placed under house arrest in March pending deportation, but police say he never respected the ruling.
| "Infidel laws mean nothing to me, I'm a imam. See my turban?" |
France believes Mr Ali is a key figure in the Salafist movement, which has a strict interpretation of the Koran. Last month, a court ruled that the Interior Ministry acted illegally by deporting another imam, Abdelkader Bouziane, to his native Algeria. He had been quoted as justifying wife-beating. The authorities are also considering whether to expel Midhat Guler, a Turkish director of a Paris mosque, accused of leading an extremist Islamic movement, AFP news agency reported. Mr Guler has been placed under house arrest pending review of his expulsion order.
| I'm sure he'll obey that as well as Yashar did. |
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