He was considered by the prefecture as a “leader of Salafism” in the North.
The former head of a mosque in the North, deported in June 2023 to Algeria, was dismissed on Thursday his summons for summary proceedings from the mayor of Hautmont, who had refused to marry him, said the lawyers of both parties .
Former Algerian head of the Hautmont mosque (North) closed in 2018 for glorifying terrorism, Abderrahim Sayah was expelled on June 13, 2023. At the beginning of January he had summoned Stéphane Wilmotte, UDI mayor of Hautmont, for having refused to marry in June 2023 with his partner of 20 years, mother of his six children.
The mayor had alerted the prosecutor of the possible “fraudulent” nature of this marriage, suspected of aiming to avoid expulsion.
Abderrahim Sayah requested that this refusal be recognized as constituting an assault.
The summary judge considers in his deliberations that the subject does not fall within his jurisdiction, indicate Emmanuel Riglaire, lawyer for Stéphane Wilmotte, and Emmanuelle Lequien, counsel for Abderrahim Sayah.
“He tells us there is no emergency.
(…) I cannot request an injunction to celebrate the marriage, since it is impossible” now that Abderrahim Sayah has been expelled, underlines Me Lequien.
If her client does not appeal the summary decision, “we will refer the matter to the trial judge,” she added.
Sermons advocating “armed jihad”
During the hearing, she accused Stéphane Wilmotte of having his hand “held” by the prefect of the North, emphasizing that the Avesnes-sur-Helpe prosecutor concluded in September 2022 that there was no no reason to oppose this marriage.
Emmanuel Riglaire had denied any assault, assuring that, the day before the wedding, the couple had wanted to change witnesses and produced dubious identity documents, then had not shown up on the said day.
Rejected of all his requests, Abderrahim Sayah is, with his partner, ordered to reimburse Stéphane Wilmotte 800 euros in court and lawyer costs.
Arriving in France at the age of five, Abderrahim Sayah founded the Assalem religious association in 2014, through which he opened the As-Sunnah mosque in Hautmont.
In the expulsion order, the authorities indicated that this place of worship was “known for dispensing Salafist Wahhabi Islam”, with sermons advocating “armed jihad” and “violence”.
Abderrahim Sayah was also linked to a man “accused of having provided false identity papers to those responsible for the attacks” in Paris, it was written.