In the mosque with the bulletproof vest

Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, a franco-tunisian, president of the Conference of Imams, on the 13th. January 2022 told France 2 TV that since he invited Muslims to the commemoration of the Holocaust in 2005, he and his family live under constant threats from Islamists.

Here are some extracts from the interview.

Host: When did you start getting death threats?: Quando hai iniziato a ricevere minacce di morte?

Hassen Chalghoumi: It was 2005 for the Holocaust Memorial. I made a solemn appeal to respect the memory of the Holocaust, to think about what people have done to other people, to consider the consequences of racism, hatred and anti-Semitism. Unfortunately my words were misunderstood. Two days later, they ransacked my home. I started receiving death threats for a cause that has nothing to do with my words: the Palestinian cause, in the name of an ideology of hatred, perhaps against Israeli politics, or the cause of genuine anti-Semitism. And then I got anonymous phone calls and letters. In 2009 they burned my car and attacked my house.

- How did you react to these threats and attacks?

Hassen Chalghoumi: By talking about it with my wife, who is a French citizen, and who attended a French state school, just like my children. I said to her: "If I continue to carry on this cultural struggle in respect for the memory of the Holocaust, they will kill me! ".

She replied: "Don't stop, go ahead".