One of Ours

...France arrested another radical imam yesterday.

...Yashar Ali, of Iraqi origin, was arrested in a housing estate outside Paris and placed under investigation. Ali is suspected of belonging to the Salafist sect, whose preaching "runs counter to French values."

France has cracked down on radical preachers in recent weeks - in direct contrast with Britain, where firebrand imams are tolerated, despite often being in clear violation of incitement and race hate laws.

Five imams have been deported this year...

President Jacques Chirac has warned France's human rights industry that if its lawyers find a way to keep hate-speech preachers in the country, he will change the law to protect French citizens.

...French Muslim congregations rely on imported preachers - often from radical sects, particularly in the impoverished suburbs around large cities.

Since 2001, France has expelled dozens of Muslim preachers.

France's two most recent interior ministers, Nicolas Sarkozy and Dominique de Villepin (yes, him) have pledged to bring the nation's 5 million plus Muslims closer to France's mainstream. Sarkozy launched a Muslim council for France, but was knocked back when voters elected extremists rather than the moderate Paris preachers the minister backed...