Salah Ramadan Bin Salman

Islamic ExtremismIslamic SupremacismPreacherSalafism

Aug 14

**DOB:** 1953

**Nationality:** Libyan

**Location:** Biel, Switzerland
**Ideology/Affiliation:** Islamism/Islamic supremacism/Salafism/Jihadism/Muslim Brotherhood

**Type of Leader:** Islamist preacher/propagandist

Also spelt/other names: Abu Ramadan/Salahuddin Al-Fitouri

Current status: Imam of Ar’Rahman mosque in Nidau, Switzerland

Biography

Abu Ramadan, born in 1953, was among Libya’s prominent Islamist preachers in the 1980s. His extremist views and calls for terrorism have been known since the mid-1980s. By 1988, Abu Ramadan had become a key member of the defunct “Islamic Martyrs” and as a result, was listed by the Libyan Security Services (LSS) as being among the most wanted. His extremist activities in Libya prompted him to flee his country for the UK, before moving to Switzerland, where he obtained asylum in 1998.

After fleeing Libya, Abu Ramadan remained acquainted with fellow Islamist extremists in the country. Abu Ramadan is believed to be among the masterminds behind the 1998 assassination plot against Gaddafi in the Green Mountain region.

Following the Libyan revolution and the overthrow of Gaddafi, Abu Ramadan was regularly invited to deliver Friday sermons in a number of mosques in Libya’s capital, Tripoli. His speeches were broadcast on Al-Tanasuh TV, a Libyan Islamist extremist media outlet. His propaganda speeches were aimed at inciting terrorism and rallying support for the terrorist organisations battling the Libyan army in Derna and Benghazi at the time.

Abu Ramadan is renowned for delivering hate-filled sermons against other religions; nevertheless, he denies any wrongdoing, asserting that his sermons are misinterpreted by the public.

During the tenure of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, Abu Ramadan was stopped at Cairo airport by the Egyptian security services and detained, as his name appeared to be on the list of extremists banned from entering the country. However, he was eventually released after the intervention of members of the Libyan General Conference.

In June 2022, the court in the Swiss town of Biel found that the preacher had illegally received social assistance amounting to almost CHF45,000 ($46,500), despite having an income from organising pilgrimages for Muslims.

None

Evidence of Hate Speech/Incitement:

June 2022: A court in the Swiss town of Biel/Bienne convicted Muslim preacher Abu Ramadan of welfare fraud and inciting racial hatred. As a result, he received a 14-month suspended jail sentence and was expelled from Switzerland for a duration of six years.

June 2019: Major General of the Libyan National Army LNA Ahmed El-Mismari stated that Abu Ramadan “is a dangerous terrorist who is now wanted by our armed forces,” further describing him as the official mufti of Al-Qaeda, who is also said to have been involved in operations with terrorist organisations in Syria.

August 2017: In one of his preachings, Abu Ramadan was recorded calling for the destruction of enemies he perceives of Sunni Islam, including Jews, Christians, Hindus, Russians, and Shiite Muslims. In one of the leaked passages of a sermon, the imam says: “Oh Allah, I beg you to destroy the enemies of our religion. Destroy the Jews, the hateful Christians, the Hindus, the Russians, and the disobedient Shiites.”

August 2017: In another preaching, Abu Ramadan was recorded claiming that “he who befriends an infidel is cursed until the Day of Resurrection.”

Extremist Individuals - Islamist Extremists