In Kabylie, especially in the cities, the month of Ramadan is known for its spiritual aspect with tarawih prayers in mosques, as well as for its festive side; with artistic evenings in gaming halls and public squares.
As part of the animation of the Ramadan evenings, the APC of M’Chedallah (formerly Maillot), in Kabylie, together with the cultural director of the wilaya of Bouira, organized an artistic gala on Saturday evening 16 April, animated by the Kabyle singer Taous Arhab. The gala was programmed at the level of the public square that overlooks the APC headquarters.
And as is the tradition in this month of Ramadan, the kick-off of the gala was given after the end of the prayers of tarawih† Hundreds of people, especially families, came to this gala and wanted to take advantage of this evening to reconnect with the festive atmosphere that this place so much lacks.
The Imam of the M’Chedallah Mosque treats those attending the gala as “scum”
While the gala was taking place in a festive atmosphere, something unexpected came to spoil the party: the loudspeaker of the mosque which is just next to the square where the gala is held and whose doors had been closed for more than two hours, either after the end by tarawih, began to broadcast the Quran. An act that provoked the anger of those present who saw it as a provocation by the imam of the mosque.
And 10 minutes later, when the gala was interrupted, the imam grabbed the mosque’s loudspeaker to insult those in attendance and reprimand the organizers. In the many videos shared on social networks, we hear the imam attack the organizers of the gala; in this case the APC of M’Chedallah and the direction of the culture of Bouira and treat in Arabic the present of “infidels” and “scum”.
Extensive controversy on social networks
Immediately, a wind of anger took over those in attendance at the gala, as the images from the videos show. Angry young people started screaming and some of them even tried to break into the mosque to get the imam out and “explain” him. It will have been necessary in addition to the intervention of the wise men of the area and the representatives of the local authorities, so that things do not degenerate.
The release of this imam has sparked a lot of reactions on social networks. If the majority of Internet users have disapproved of it, other Internet users and pages close to Islamic positions have seized the opportunity to attack the organizers of this gala. Some commentators even went so far as to berate those in attendance at the gala while calling for a ban on these types of events on the evenings of the gala. Ramadan†
The M’Chedallah APC files a complaint against the Imam
For its part, M’Chedallah’s APC, which decided to file a complaint against the mosque’s imam, defended itself against any attack on the sanctity of Ramadan. In a statement to Al Hayat newspaper, APC Vice President Hocine Boukrif said that “the gala started at 10:24 PM” after the prayer of tarawihand that the imam of the mosque started insulting them at 11:50 pm.
“We never undermined the sanctity of the mosque and the gala started after the prayer of tarawih “, he emphasizes, not without specifying that “this is not the first time that the APC organizes this kind of gala at the level of the town hall square”. The vice president of the APC of M’Chedallah, “welcomed the wisdom of the young people who attended the gala”, wanted to denounce the “defamation campaigns on social networks against the Kabylie region”.
For its part, the Wilaya of Bouira, qualified in a press release published on Sunday, April 17 on her Facebook page, the exit of the Imam from the mosque of M’Chedallah of an “isolated verbal act that can reach the sensitivity of people ” . The wilaya wished to recall that “local authorities, security forces, elected officials and associations in the region have mobilized to prevent this case from being expanded for other purposes”. The wilaya also indicated that “administrative measures will be taken” in the context of this case.
