Rome: Italy ordered the expulsion of Zulfiqar Khan, a 54-year-old Pakistani imam based in Bologna. Khan, who had been residing in Italy since 1995, had his residency permit revoked by the Giorgia Meloni government. According to the administrative order, Khan’s behavior had become increasingly radical and extremist since the end of 2023, particularly evident in his harsh and inflammatory rhetoric against Western countries, Jews, homosexuals, and feminism.
Khan allegedly incited Muslims during one of his sermons to resist paying taxes imposed by the government, arguing that such resources should remain within the Muslim community. He also described homosexuality as “a disease” and stated that it was Muslims’ right to oppose it.
Monitoring of Khan’s social media activity revealed that between November 2023 and April 2024, his videos accused Americans, Germans, French, British, and Italians of supporting Zionists. In his speeches, he prayed for Allah to destroy these “oppressors.” Italian authorities found that Khan had links to foreign nationals connected to Islamic extremist groups, and there were concerns he could facilitate the entry of political-religious and paramilitary organizations into the Bologna region.
In May 2024, Khan praised Hamas from the pulpit of a mosque and criticized Israel, asserting that Hamas was not a terrorist organization but rather defending its land. He labeled Western nations, especially Israel and the U.S., as “terrorists” and “murderers.” Khan’s rhetoric also frequently included anti-Semitic remarks. In 2021, he publicly claimed that part of the Jewish community was depicted as brutal in the Gospel of John. In 2024, he asserted that the term “anti-Semitism” was invented in the 18th century and claimed that Zionists were not Semitic.
Khan had also challenged Italian authorities, claiming that Italy’s constitution protected his freedom of speech. However, Italian officials made it clear that hate speech and support for terrorism would not be tolerated. On October 8, Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi signed the expulsion order for Khan, which came shortly after U.S. sanctions were imposed on Hamas supporter Mohammed Hanoun, accused of fundraising for the organization. Italy’s expulsion of Zulfiqar Khan signals that there is no room for terrorism or extremist ideologies in the country.