The judge in chambers of Bordeaux on Tuesday suspended the decree of closure for 6 months of the mosque of Pessac, suspected by the prefecture of Gironde of conveying a "
Salafist ideology
", announced the court on Wednesday March 23.
Read alsoNear Bordeaux, Muslims challenge the “disproportionate” closure of their mosque
This decision allows the Al Farouk mosque in Pessac, in the suburbs of Bordeaux, to remain open.
"
Despite their questionable nature, the publications (on the internet, editor's note) which motivated this closure did not present an extremist character to the point of provoking, through hatred and violence, the commission of acts of terrorism
", explained the court. administrative in a press release.
“A real turnaround”
“
This decision is a real reversal, it makes it possible to mark time on the closures of mosques which have succeeded one another in recent years
”, reacted to AFP Me Sefen Guez Guez, lawyer for the association managing the mosque.
Denouncing a “
disproportionate
” closure, the association had seized the judge in chambers to urgently request its suspension.
On Monday, a hundred worshipers gathered in front of the court in support of the president of the association "
Rassemblement des Musulmans de Pessac
", Abdourahmane Ridouane, whose mosque remained open pending the court's decision.
In favor of the mosque, the judge considered in his order that the closure "
was disproportionate to the objective of preventing acts of terrorism and thus constituted a serious and manifestly illegal attack on the freedom of worship
", according to the court statement.
In its decree of March 14, the prefecture argued that the association "
Rassemblement des Musulmans de Pessac
" and its president, disseminated messages on the Internet and social networks such as Facebook and relayed writings from third parties "
inciting violence, hatred or discrimination
", encouraging "
the commission of acts of terrorism
" or "
advocating such acts
".
Read alsoA mosque in the suburbs of Bordeaux closed for 6 months for “Salafist ideology”
At Monday's hearing, lawyer Sefen Guez Guez replied that the mosque had taken "
corrective measures
".
“
Before the closure decision, the association had deleted the writings complained of (...) and taken measures to avoid the renewal of provocations to violence or hatred by replacing the manager of the site (internet) and by appointing a moderator
,” the court noted.
Last week, the prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes decided to leave open a mosque in Cannes threatened with closure, “
in the light of the elements provided by the new officials
”.
