The case has caused outrage. Mohamed Toujgani, a controversial imam expelled from Belgium in 2021 on national security grounds, has recently… obtained Belgian nationality. A situation firmly condemned by Georges-Louis Bouchez, President of the Mouvement Réformateur, who is calling for an immediate reform of the conditions for acquiring citizenship.
As a reminder, the imam was removed from our country by decision of the then State Secretary for Asylum and Migration, Sammy Mahdi, based on intelligence reports describing him as a serious threat to national security. This was due in particular to radical sermons and openly anti-Semitic statements, including a filmed call in 2009 to “burn the Zionists”.
Yet his application for Belgian nationality was recently approved by a court, even though he does not speak any of the national languages. An absurd situation, according to Georges-Louis Bouchez: “He doesn't speak any of the national languages, yet he still manages to obtain Belgian nationality… Surreal!”
The MR President goes further: “How can a radical and anti-Semitic imam obtain Belgian nationality after being expelled for being dangerous? This must stop!”
The Mouvement Réformateur proposes making knowledge of a national language mandatory for any application for nationality. It also wants to include a criterion of compatibility with our democratic values in the assessment of cases.
“It is unacceptable that someone can become Belgian while failing to respect our values and to integrate. We must also be able to revoke nationality in such serious cases,” the MR President added.
Georges-Louis Bouchez adds that his party will also act to prevent Mr Toujgani from resuming his role as imam in a Belgian mosque. “He must be prevented from having a platform. The authorities must monitor him closely and take action.”