Supreme Islamic Council: “Illegal Immigrants Are Sinners, Show Disobedience To The Ruler”

Chairman of the Fatwa Committee of the Supreme Islamic Council, Kamal Bouzidi, issued a fatwa on illegal immigrants and called them “sinners” in Islam and attributed it to five reasons, confirming that this ruling is not necessarily a fatwa, but the sharia opinion on the subject and the supreme law does not issue decisions, because it is not an executive body.

“Illegal immigration is a violation to the rules, and is not legally permissible, based on several reasons that he summed up in causes like danger on peoples’ lives. It also humiliates the soul. The Prophet Mohamed (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) forbade that like he forbade lying and forgery, and all illegal practices are borne by this phenomenon, which is forbidden by Sharia as well”. 

He asserted in a speech on the sidelines of the symposium that was organized by the Supreme Islamic Council on the dangers of illegal migration, that this provision does not mean that it is an official fatwa, on the grounds that their body is not authorized to issue fatwas, and it is not an executive body.

On the other hand, the Chairman of the Supreme Islamic Council, Bouabdallah Ghoulamallah, commented on Dr. Bouzidi’s intervention on the issue of illegal immigration, which sparked controversy because of the overlap in the statements between the Minister of Religious Affairs, Mohammed Issa and him saying: “Dr. Bouzidi presented the legitimate view of the subject, and the council does not issue decision, because it is not an executive body.”

In this regard, Ghoulamallah proposed the creation of a Ministry of Immigration to control this phenomenon, confirming his government’s readiness to cooperate with the government if the proposal is adopted. 

“If the State believes that the number of people who migrate illegally requires the establishment of an institution to deal with the situation, the Supreme Islamic Council is ready to cooperate and provide a plan to counter this phenomenon. Algeria stands in front of a painful phenomenon that can not be tolerated, so the issue should not become only a matter of excitement”.

For his part, the economic expert Abdelmadjid Kadi, attended the study day on illegal migration to address the file, recalling the efforts of the State to eliminate this phenomenon, but the imbalance – according to him – lies in the policy of support that goes to the non-eligible, adding that many Algerian young people have a lot of skills and diplomas and they find it difficult to show them on the ground, so they challenge the situation by riding the sea and risking their lives.

“Europe, which young Algerians consider a paradise, has unemployment rates of 10% and growth rate of less than 2%. Which means that the same situation is present in Algeria, contrary to what is filmed”.

“Algerian officials should to take care of these young people, especially as statistics show that 72% of the illegal immigrants are under 40 and 25% of them are university graduates.