Marseille Imam Sentenced for Terrorism Apology Following Social Media Post
Ismail, an imam from the Bleuets mosque, receives a six-month suspended prison sentence for a post linked to the October 2023 attack in Israel.
Ismail, the imam of the Bleuets mosque in Marseille, has been sentenced to six months in prison, suspended, following his conviction for 'apology of terrorism'.
The ruling was handed down by the correctional tribunal of Marseille on May 30, 2025, in connection with a social media post linked to the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
This attack, carried out by the Palestinian movement Hamas, resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths.
The imam, whose real name is Smaïn Bendjilali, was also fined 2,000 euros, prohibited from exercising civil rights for five years, and recorded in the national terrorism offenders file (Fijait).
He was found guilty of republishing a video on his social media account in July 2024, which had garnered 10,800 followers, alongside a comment describing the Hamas attack as 'legitimate defense'.
However, he was acquitted regarding a second post where he had shared a video alleging Israeli soldiers had tortured a Palestinian, with the accompanying remark, 'Daesh are choir boys in comparison'.
The tribunal's decision followed the prosecution's recommendations, but it did not implement a request for a six-month ban on using social media or a permanent prohibition on working at the Bleuets mosque.
In response to the judgment, Imam Ismail expressed his intention to resume his duties from the next Friday sermon, asserting, 'To relay is not to adhere, and I did not adhere to those statements', a claim he had reiterated during the hearing in late March.
The mosque and Imam Ismail had previously been at the center of administrative scrutiny.
Late last summer, the police prefect for the Bouches-du-Rhône threatened to shut down the Bleuets mosque at the request of former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin due to his online statements and publications.
Subsequently, the procedure was suspended following Imam Ismail's temporary withdrawal to pursue a university degree in secularism and the deletion of his tweets.
Recent reports, including one commissioned by the government concerning the Muslim Brotherhood, have identified Imam Ismail and the Bleuets mosque as influential, particularly highlighting Ismail's significant following among young Muslims, attributed largely to his proficiency in using social media.
The ruling was handed down by the correctional tribunal of Marseille on May 30, 2025, in connection with a social media post linked to the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel.
This attack, carried out by the Palestinian movement Hamas, resulted in over 1,200 Israeli deaths.
The imam, whose real name is Smaïn Bendjilali, was also fined 2,000 euros, prohibited from exercising civil rights for five years, and recorded in the national terrorism offenders file (Fijait).
He was found guilty of republishing a video on his social media account in July 2024, which had garnered 10,800 followers, alongside a comment describing the Hamas attack as 'legitimate defense'.
However, he was acquitted regarding a second post where he had shared a video alleging Israeli soldiers had tortured a Palestinian, with the accompanying remark, 'Daesh are choir boys in comparison'.
The tribunal's decision followed the prosecution's recommendations, but it did not implement a request for a six-month ban on using social media or a permanent prohibition on working at the Bleuets mosque.
In response to the judgment, Imam Ismail expressed his intention to resume his duties from the next Friday sermon, asserting, 'To relay is not to adhere, and I did not adhere to those statements', a claim he had reiterated during the hearing in late March.
The mosque and Imam Ismail had previously been at the center of administrative scrutiny.
Late last summer, the police prefect for the Bouches-du-Rhône threatened to shut down the Bleuets mosque at the request of former Interior Minister Gérald Darmanin due to his online statements and publications.
Subsequently, the procedure was suspended following Imam Ismail's temporary withdrawal to pursue a university degree in secularism and the deletion of his tweets.
Recent reports, including one commissioned by the government concerning the Muslim Brotherhood, have identified Imam Ismail and the Bleuets mosque as influential, particularly highlighting Ismail's significant following among young Muslims, attributed largely to his proficiency in using social media.
