The town of M’chedallah, 40km east of Bouira, enjoyed a special evening at the sidelines of a gala organized by the town hall on Saturday night in collaboration with the Association for Youth Activities in that town.
The gala was held in the city’s main square after the Tarawih prayer, according to the Vice President of the APC. In statements to the Akhbar El watan website, Fawzi Midoun explained that this cultural and artistic activity was organized under the aegis of the Directorate of Youth and Sports in coordination with the Directorate of Culture. The great square of M’chedallah is located near the city’s mosque.
The evening was particularly animated by the Kabyle artist Taous Arhab. “For 40 years I have been attending galas in this great square (…), even in the dark years of terrorism,” the elected official testified. The official stated that the concert took place three quarters of an hour after the Tarawih prayer as the mosque is adjacent to the gala venue. “The tarawih ended at 9.45pm, we waited until 10.30pm to start the gala,” he said.
“isolated act”
According to the elected official, the event went on as normal until around midnight, when organizers and spectators heard the Imam’s voice insulting them over the loudspeakers.
Thought the imam had forgotten his microphone, we rushed to the mosque to inquire but found the doors closed. We contacted the Religious Commission, who informed us that this was not within their remit, continued the APC Vice President.
A video made the rounds on social media, where we hear the imam addressing the evening’s organizers and attendees by all their names, even cursing them. A reaction that surprised those present.
This sequence led to a skirmish between the Imam’s supporters and the supporters of the Mayor of M’chedallah, who was the target of insults. Artistic galas are often held during the month of Ramadan, which has raised questions about this outcry.
This Sunday, the Wilaya and the Bouira APW responded in a joint press release, in which they qualified the imam’s reaction as an “individual act” and that his “verbal gaffes” were likely to hurt “the feelings” of citizens.
The same sources claimed to have been working since last night to avoid other interpretations, particularly through social networks. Authorities claim to have “contained” the situation, suggesting that administrative measures are being taken without specifying their nature or the party affected.
Le Soir d’Algérie reports this Sunday that the P/APC M’chedallah was due to file a complaint against the imam later today.