What is the Action Rights of Muslims association?

The Council of State will examine Tuesday, September 5, the freedom summary against the ban on the abaya at school, filed Friday on behalf of the association Action Droits des Musulmans (ADM). For the plaintiffs, this decision “violates the rights of the child, because it mainly targets children presumed to be Muslim, thus creating a risk of ethnic profiling at school”.

The ADM association, created by Sihem Zine after the establishment of the state of emergency in November 2015, presents itself as an organization fighting against “ discriminatory abuses linked to security measures and against anti-Muslim racism » and defense « victims of discrimination by providing them with legal and practical support “.

Anti-terrorism network, rights and freedoms

Less visible than other associations defending Muslim rights, ADM’s work is essentially carried out “ through work, letters, reports addressed to institutions » specifies Me Vincent Brengarth, one of the two lawyers behind the appeal filed before the Council of State, close to the association since its creation.

ADM was notably part of the “anti-terrorism law and freedoms” network – of which the Collective against Islamophobia in France (CCIF) was a member, dissolved in 2021. Made up of around ten associations defending fundamental freedoms, such as Amnesty International, Quadrature du Net or the French Lawyers’ Union, this network was received by Emmanuel Macron in June 2017.

He had asked the Head of State to review his bill on internal security and the fight against terrorism (Silt). The members of the collective then warned of the dangers that this law posed for the foundations of the rule of law.

Denunciation of mosque closures

Some of ADM’s work, however, received media coverage. In June 2019, the association notably published a report to denounce the closure of seven mosques since the entry into force of the Silt law. Entitled “Collective Punishment”, the document pointed to a “ misuse of anti-terrorism tools », ensuring that“none (of these 7 mosques) has been the subject of a judicial investigation in connection with terrorism”.

A few months later, the president of ADM, Sihem Zine, alerted several media outlets of the closure of her association’s bank account by BNP Paribas. She then believed that the bank’s decision was linked to its activist commitment and regretted the lack of transparency of the request. Seven organizations, including Amnesty International and the Human Rights League, then wrote to the Interior Ministry to support ADM.

More recently, in June 2023, Action Droits des Musulmans filed a complaint against X for “discrimination” after police officers recorded students absent for the Eid-El-Fitr festival in Toulouse.