Sarkozy moves to halt imams' visit
Radical Muslim preachers will not be allowed into France for Islamic congress
PRESIDENT Sarkozy says he will stop radical Muslim imams from coming to France to take part in next month's Islamic conference organised by the Union of French Islamic Organisations (UOIF).
Speaking after the murders of seven people including three children by claimed Al Qaida gunman Mohamed Merah, Sarkozy was reacting to attacks by the Front National and the Parti Socialiste who said two imams - Yusuf Qaradawi and Mahmoud Al-Masri - were unacceptable in France.
Manuel Valls, spokesman for Socialist presidential challenger François Hollande, said of Qaradawi: "It is unacceptable that such an individual should set foot in France in today's context." He and the Front National said at the weekend that the government had acted on their call to halt visas to the two preachers.
Egyptian Sunni Muslim Qaradawi has a diplomatic passport issued by Qatar, which would allow him freedom to visit France but Sarkozy said he had "indicated to the Emir of Qatar himself that this person was not welcome on French soil".
Qaradawi was denied permission to enter the UK in 2008 because of his support for Palestinian suicide bombers in Israel and attacks on coalition soldiers in Iraq. He has been banned from the US since 1999.
Sarkozy has already announced plans, if elected, to take action against people repeatedly looking at Islamist websites and those going abroad for indoctrination and terrorist training.
Police are investigating what involvement Merah's brother, Abdelkader, played in the attacks after he was remanded in custody. He denies any involvement.
Merah's father has said he is going to lodge a complaint against France for "killing his son... when it was possible to arrest him alive".
He said his son would be buried in Algeria as he had had an Algerian passport.
Meanwhile, it has been reported that broadcaster al-Jazeera has received images from Merah's three attacks, in Toulouse and Montauban. It will decide today whether to air them.
The broadcaster has also passed on the footage to police.
