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• 'Justice is being held hostage by the government to track down, silence, gag, and exclude all voices that try to defend the cause of the Palestinian people,' Ridouane tells Anadolu
• ‘For the government, I represent a threat. I am Black, I am Muslim, I oppose Islamophobia, I oppose the exploitation of Africa, and I also oppose the genocide of the Palestinian people,’ says Ridouane

ISTANBUL

Caught in France’s sweeping crackdown on pro-Palestinian activists, a Muslim scholar says he’s been punished for defending human rights from Gaza to Africa.

Facing multiple legal battles in France, Abdourahmane Ridouane, a Nigerien national who has lived in France for 35 years and serves as president of the Pessac Mosque in Bordeaux, has been under growing scrutiny by the French government.

Most recently, he was accused of “glorifying terrorism” — a charge he says stems directly from his vocal advocacy for Palestinian rights amid Israel’s ongoing genocidal onslaught in Gaza.

In March, Ridouane was handed a four-month suspended prison sentence and a two-year ban from entering French territory. He has appealed the decision, which also placed him on a list of individuals allegedly involved in terror-related activities. “What the government accuses me of is defending the rights of Muslims,” Ridouane told Anadolu.

“First, I raise my voice against Islamophobia, and secondly, I raise my voice against the exploitation of African countries, like my country, Niger … The third fight that the French government accusing me of is defending the rights of the Palestinian people,” he said.

‘Glorifying terrorism’: Pro-Palestinian stance under fire

The charges against Ridouane are largely related to social media posts supporting Palestinian resistance and paying tribute to slain Hamas political leader Ismail Haniyeh.

In 2023, following the Oct. 7 cross-border Hamas attack and subsequent Israeli offensive on Gaza, French authorities announced that individuals referring to Hamas as a resistance movement would face prosecution.

Ridouane says that a post honoring Haniyeh’s struggle for Palestinian freedom triggered the government's accusations against him. “Any statement a Muslim makes to defend Palestine becomes evidence of glorifying terrorism,” he said.

Despite winning some legal victories, Ridouane has been the subject of expulsion orders under France’s 2021 separatism law. Niger, however, has refused to grant travel authorization, preventing his deportation.

During the process, he was held for three months in a detention center in Paris. Just five days before his scheduled release, the Interior Ministry filed another complaint against him for “glorifying terrorism.”

“It is clear that justice is being instrumentalized,” Ridouane said.

“Justice is being held hostage by the government to track down, silence, gag, and exclude all voices that try to defend the cause of the Palestinian people,” he added, claiming that the decision to expel him and revoke his residence permit was based “solely” on his social media activity.

While Ridouane faces charges over his remarks on Gaza, France and other European countries have recently toughened their stance on Israel’s actions. Most recently, Macron warned Israel “can’t have a free pass” in Gaza and has proposed Paris recognizing Palestinian statehood.

Accusations of radicalism for denouncing Islamophobia

Ridouane has also faced accusations of extremism for denouncing what he describes as systemic Islamophobia in France. “If you call out the Islamophobia Muslims experience in this country, you are labeled radicalized,” he said. “When you criticize the state of Israel, you are called antisemitic. But when you criticize Islamophobia in France … you are radicalized, you are a terrorist.”

He insists that the Pessac Mosque promotes a peaceful message rooted in the law. “We simply ask for respect for the law. But since Islamophobia is institutional, you can’t say that publicly without being portrayed as a criminal,” he said.

Currently, Ridouane is under tight administrative control. He is confined to his commune, requires government approval to travel even within the region, is barred from leaving his home between 8.30 p.m. and 6.30 a.m., and must report to a police station twice a day.

“I am not expellable because Niger refuses to grant the … exit permit. And I have no life,” he said.

Critique of French role in Africa

Ridouane believes his criticism of French neocolonial practices in Africa also contributed to the state’s targeting.

He pointed to a 2013 report indicating that Niger, one of the world’s top uranium producers, supplies 30% of France’s uranium needs, yet the West African nation remains one of the world’s poorest.

Since then, that figure has declined to roughly half, though Niger remains a crucial source of the mineral for France, a country that relies on nuclear energy to power its domestic electricity grid.

“Africans should be able to manage their countries, control their resources. And the Palestinian people should have their freedom. That’s why the government is relentlessly targeting me,” he said.

“For the government, I represent a threat. I am Black, I am Muslim, I oppose Islamophobia, I oppose the exploitation of Africa, and I also oppose the genocide of the Palestinian people.”

Growing pressure on Muslims in France

Ridouane links his case to a broader crackdown on Muslims in France amid a shift to the political right within and beyond its borders, including in Germany and England.

“Every day, there is a controversy in the media. Every day. If it is not a minister speaking to target the Muslim community, it is a pundit, a mainstream media outlet, or an intellectual,” he said.

He argues that even under a democratic government, policies once associated with far-right ideology are now mainstream, noting that many imams who have lived in France for over 30 years, with French children and grandchildren, have already been expelled.

Citing the case of Franco-Palestinian European Parliamentarian Rima Hassan, who has faced calls to strip her of citizenship for speaking against Israel’s war in Gaza, Ridouane said: “Even if you are French, your nationality does not protect you.”

“I have lived in France for 35 years. I have never broken the law. I have never harmed this country. I just want equality. Muslims should be treated like all other citizens,” he said.