Safaa Kasraoui – Eye on Islamism

Retailleau wants to ban hijab wearing at universities amid Macron’s claims on religious freedom The remarks came just a few days after Macron claimed his country is committed to guaranteeing religious freedom.

May 2, 2025 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) French President Emmanuel Macron claimed earlier this week that his country respects religious freedom and is committed to preserving the fundamental rights of its Muslim citizens and residents, yet the latest controversial statement by Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau confirms […]

France-Algeria tensions put Paris Grand Mosque’s ‘iftar for ambassadors’ in spotlight French officials and media have been concerned about ties between the mosque and Algeria amid a flaring crisis between the two countries.

March 17, 2025 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The upcoming high-level Ramadan iftar ceremony at the Grand Mosque of Paris is attracting a dramatic turn of events as the media is suspecting further tensions between Algeria and France. French news agency Agence France-Presse said the rift between […]

France announces arrest of new Algerian influencer amid Paris-Algiers tensions The two countries have been responding to each [other’s] accusations, with French officials calling for measures to address Algeria’s 'hostile' approaches.

January 17, 2025 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) France announced on Thursday the arrest of a new Algerian influencer, identified as Mahdi B. Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau announced that police arrested the influencer on Tuesday for a video in which he allegedly showed intent to carry out […]

Algeria rejects France-expelled influencer, sparks outrage France launched a campaign cracking down on influencers who are inciting hatred through images, videos, or texts, confirming the country’s commitment to combat extremism.

January 10, 2025 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Former French officials, netizens, and activists have condemned Algeria’s refusal to accept the return of an Algerian influencer, who France expelled on Thursday. French police arrested the influencer known as Doualemn on TikTok on Sunday in Montpellier, after he […]

France’s only Muslim high school faces potential contract termination France’s Muslim community has been grappling with the country’s increasing anti-Islamization measures.

December 4, 2024 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Al Kindi, the only Muslim private high school in France, is facing the threat of contract termination by the Rhone prefecture. The threat could potentially end the school’s official association with the state. According to the website Lyon Capitale, […]

Morocco, Spain collaborate to arrest 8 terror suspects Morocco frequently called for a shared responsibility to address security threats, particularly terrorism.

July 5, 2024 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Morocco’s security services and the Spanish Civil Guard announced on Friday arresting a group of eight terror suspects in a joint operation. The joint operation between the Spanish Civil Guard Intelligence Service and Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance […]

France deports Moroccan-French convicted of terrorism charges to Morocco France also stripped the individual of his French nationality.

March 31, 2024 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) France has expelled Rachid Ait El Hadj, an individual convicted of terrorism in 2007 and stripped of French nationality. El Hadj, who was under surveillance for his alleged persistent links with terrorist groups, was expelled on Saturday morning, French […]

Morocco, Spain team up to arrest terror suspects in Nador, Melilla The arrests came less than a week after a similar joint Spanish-Moroccan counterterrorism operation.

December 19, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The Moroccan Central Bureau of Judicial Investigations (BCIJ) and Spanish authorities carried out a joint counterterrorism operation, during which several terror suspects were arrested in Nador, Morocco’s Oriental region, and in the Spanish enclave of Melilla. The BCIJ arrested […]

French police reject Muslim man’s application because of prayer mark on forehead Karim’s boyhood dream of serving in the French police force has been shattered because of his visible devotion to his faith.

September 21, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The Paris police prefecture rejected a Muslim’s man application to join the police academy because of a prayer mark on his forehead, French news outlet MediaPart reported last week. Karim, the 24-year-old Muslim man whose application was rejected, spoke […]

Morocco, Spain team up against ISIS threats, arrest two suspects Morocco’s counterterrorism approach prioritizes international cooperation against terrorism and transnational crimes.

July 19, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Morocco’s Central Bureau of Investigations (BCIJ) has announced the arrest of an ISIS suspect in the city of Nador today. The ISIS suspect had been operating between Spain and Morocco, according to a statement from the General Directorate of […]

French writer Michel Houellebecq says he is a ‘part-time Islamophobe’ The best-selling French writer is notorious for repeatedly arguing that Islam is not compatible with France's 'Republican values.'

January 5, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) French writer Michel Houellebecq has strikingly admitted to condoning and promoting an anti-Islam discourse, sarcastically pleading guilty to being “a part-time Islamophobe.” France has a problem with Islam The writer made his shocking remarks as he barely emerged from […]

Belgium wants to deport imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco Morocco’s government canceled a consular pass for imam Iquioussen’s deportation in September 2022.

January 1, 2023 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Authorities in Belgium are seeking to deport Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen to Morocco. News outlet BFMTV quoted sources that Belgium will deport the imam directly to Morocco. Belgian authorities arrested Iquioussen in September of last year. The imam has […]

Police in Belgium arrest Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen France issued a European arrest warrant against the imam after the French Council of State gave the green light for his deportation.

September 30, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Belgian Justice Minister Vincent Van Quickenborne announced today that security services in the European country arrested French-Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen. AFP quoted the Belgian minister confirming the news. “I can confirm to you that he was arrested today by […]

French court suspends expulsion of Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen Reports suggested that France would expel the imam to Morocco after Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin decided to issue an expulsion order against him.

August 5, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The Paris Administrative Court on Friday suspended the expulsion order of Moroccan-French imam Hassan Iquioussen. The court ruled in favor of the imam, suggesting that his expulsion would cause a “disproportionate attack” on his private life and family. The […]

NGO slams France for threatening to expel French-born Moroccan imam France’s interior minister is accusing the imam of promoting hate speech against the country’s values.

August 2, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The League for Human Rights (LDH) issued a statement on Monday to denounce the French government’s decision to expel Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen. The NGO argued that both Minister of Interior Gerald Darmanin and the prefect of the Hauts-de-France […]

France uses controversial law to expel Moroccan imam Iquioussen France's interior minister claims that the imam has been promoting hate speech against the country’s values.

July 29, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) France’s Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin said that his country is set to expel Moroccan imam Hassan Iquioussen. The minister publicly accused the France-born Moroccan imam of adopting “hate speech against the values of France, contrary to our principles of […]

New year wishes: Imam of Bordeaux grand mosque criticizes Maitre Gims Maitre Gims released a video earlier this year, criticizing Muslim fans for wishing him a happy new year.

January 7, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Tareq Oubrou, the rector of the grand mosque of Bordeaux, France, has criticized Congolese-French rapper Maitre Gims after he called on his Muslim fans to stop sending him new year and birthday wishes, considering the practice to be “un-Islamic.” […]

French singer Maitre Gims: New year, birthday wishes not Islamic The singer took to his social media to urge his fans to stop sending new year and birthday wishes.

January 2, 2022 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) French-Congolese rapper and singer Maitre Gims has infuriated many of his fans after he released a video calling on them to stop sending him new year and birthday wishes. In a video Gims posted on his social media, the […]

NGO in Spain calls on Spain to reduce working hours for Muslims in Ramadan The NGO also calls on the Spanish government to recognize Muslim holidays.

April 18, 2021 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) The Moroccan Immigrant Workers Association is calling for Spain to reduce the working hours for Muslims during Ramadan. The association is also calling on Spain to recognize Muslim holidays, including Eid al-Adha (eid of sacrifice), and Eid al-Fitr, marking […]

Morocco’s intelligence enabled France to prevent terrorist attack in church The data enabled France to prevent a serious terrorist attack that a national planned in a church in France.

April 6, 2021 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Morocco’s General Directorate of Territorial Surveillance (DGST) handed France essential information about a French woman of Moroccan origin, who was plotting a terrorist attack in a church. The data enabled France to prevent the attack, a statement from the […]

Morocco slams Belgian minister for accusations of mosque infiltration Morocco’s representative in Belgium calls on the Belgian minister to avoid 'baseless' accusations that can lead to needless tensions with a strategic ally.

January 10, 2021 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Morocco has responded to the Belgian Minister of Justice Vincent Van [Quickenborne] after he accused Moroccan intelligence of mosque infiltration. Van Quickenborne, who claimed that Morocco had infiltrated the mosque in Cinquantenaire park in Brussels, described the mosque’s director […]

Spanish police: Moroccan ISIS sympathizer radicalized multiple youths Moroccan police arrested the radicalized suspects, who were planning terror attacks in Morocco and UAE, in different operations.

May 24, 2020 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) After the arrest of a Moroccan ISIS sympathizer on May 20, Spanish police have said the suspect managed to convince several youths to join the terrorist group. Spanish media reported last week that police arrested the suspect in Bolanos […]

‘I hate Islam,’ says deputy director of French newspaper Figaro The deputy director of right-wing newspaper Le Figaro said, 'we have the right to hate religion.'

October 15, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Deputy editor of French newspaper Le Figaro Yves Threard is at the center of controversy after making statements against Muslims and Islam. During debate show “Le Grand Soir” (the Big Evening) broadcast on LCI on Monday, October 14, the […]

French public figures call on Emmanuel Macron to ‘end Islamophobia’ Politicians and public figures often use France’s famous secular state as an excuse for hate speech and Islamophobic statements.

October 15, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) French newspaper Le Monde will publish, October 16, an open letter to the president of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, calling for an end to Islamophobia. Ninety French public figures have called on Macron to condemn verbal attacks on […]

Spain arrests Moroccan national for ‘promoting terrorism’ Spanish police arrested the suspect on Saturday, July 13, in Pamplona, Spain.

July 17, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) A Spanish judge at the National Court sentenced, on Monday, July 15, Moroccan national Allal El Mourabit to prison for allegedly “glorifying terrorism.” The judge sentenced the Moroccan national after considering evidence concerning charges of promoting terrorism. The arrest […]

France strips Moroccan man convicted of terrorism of citizenship He was sentenced in 2014 to five years in prison for conspiring to join jihadists in Afghanistan.

June 2, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) French authorities have stripped a defendant of Moroccan origin convicted for conspiring to join terrorists in Afghanistan, of his French nationality. AFP reported that the dual national was sentenced in 2014 to five years in prison for planning to […]

Moroccan-Spanish counterterrorism services arrest suspect in Morocco The individual was allegedly planning a terror attack in Seville, Spain, over Easter.

April 17, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Moroccan security services, in cooperation with Spanish and Moroccan intelligence services, have arrested a Moroccan terror suspect, who was allegedly planning a terror attack in Seville, southern Spain. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior announced on Wednesday that the […]

35% of women arrested for terrorism in Spain are Moroccans Terrorism and extremism are imposing threat in all countries across the world.

January 6, 2019 Safaa Kasraoui

(Morocco World News) Two Spanish criminologists conducted a study on women involved in terror-related crimes in Spain. The study, quoted by Ceutaldia, indicates that nearly 34.8 percent of women radicalized by terror organizations in Spain are Moroccans. The study showed that the […]