Fouad Ahidar

Fouad Ahidar
Member of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region
Incumbent
Assumed office 2004
Personal details
Born	(1973-10-13) October 13, 1973 (age 51) Mechelen, Belgium
Political party	Team Fouad Ahidar (2024–) Independent (2022–2024) Vooruit (–2022)

Fouad Ahidar (born October 13, 1973) is a Belgian politician who currently serves as the leader of Team Fouad Ahidar, a political party in Belgium. He is currently a member of the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region.

Political career

In the early 2000s, Ahidar was employed at the Flemish Ministry of Culture and Youth, as part of the staff of minister Bert Anciaux. ^[1] He worked three years in this role, where he was responsible for economic issues, and issues pertaining to the Islamic community.

In 2004, Ahidar was elected to the Parliament of the Brussels-Capital Region as a member of Socialistische Partij Anders (SP.A). ^[2]

From 2014 to 2019, he was vice-president of the Brussels Parliament. In 2022, he was expelled from Vooruit (as the Socialistische Partij Anders was renamed in 2021) for voting against the obligation to stun animals before slaughter. ^[3]

Having remained an independent between 2022 and 2024, he founded his own party, Team Fouad Ahidar, in 2024.

In the June 2024 elections, Ahidar led his party in what became an unexpectedly strong campaign. The campaign organized primarily around issues relevant to the Islamic community, such as defending Halal slaughter against animal welfare legislation, the conflict in Gaza, and opposition to restrictions on niqabs and burqas. ^[4] Ahidar also incorporated other themes into the campaign, including housing and purchasing power.

In the June elections, Team Fouad Ahidar won three seats in the Brussels Parliament, and one seat in the Flemish Parliament. ^[5] The party's emphasis on religious issues is a source of friction in coalition negotiations, with the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, ^[6] New Flemish Alliance, ^[7] and Reformist Movement ^[8] ruling out any cooperation with Team Fouad Ahidar.

Ahidar is a friend of the controversial imam Mohamed Toujgani  [ fr ]. ^[9] Toujgani is the subject of an ongoing deportation case on the basis of alleged extremist and anti-Semitic remarks. ^{[9] [10]}

References

1. De Bock, Gauthier (2024-06-20). "10 choses à savoir sur la Team Fouad Ahidar" [10 things to know about Team Fouad Ahidar]. Moustique (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-12.
2. Tenré, Steve (2024-06-13). "À Bruxelles, l'inquiétante percée de la liste pro-islam de Fouad Ahidar, accusé d'être "axé sur la charia"" [In Brussels, the worrying breakthrough of the pro-Islam list of Fouad Ahidar, accused of being "focused on Sharia law"]. Le Figaro (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-12.
3. "Un député Vooruit exclu du parti après son vote sur l'abattage sans étourdissement" [Vooruit MP expelled from party after vote on unstunned slaughter]. 7 sur 7. 2022-06-17. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
4. de Marneffe, Adrien (2024-09-06). "Contre l'interdiction de l'abattage rituel, radicalement pro Gaza : qui est Fouad Ahidar, le leader du parti qui surprend tout le monde à Bruxelles?" [Against the ban on ritual slaughter, radically pro-Gaza: who is Fouad Ahidar, the leader of the party that surprises everyone in Brussels?]. La Dernière Heure (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-12.
5. "Le succès inattendu du Team Fouad Ahidar: "L'aboutissement de 20 ans de politique"" [The unexpected success of Team Fouad Ahidar: “The culmination of 20 years of politics”]. 7 sur 7 (in French). 2024-10-06. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
6. "Malgré sa personnalité controversée, la liste de Fouad Ahidar arrive deuxième à Bruxelles: comment l'expliquer?" [Despite his controversial personality, Fouad Ahidar's list comes second in Brussels: how can this be explained?]. RTL-TVI (in French). 2024-06-21. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
7. Tang Quynh, Camille (2024-06-21). "Sven Gatz exclut toute majorité à la Région bruxelloise avec la Team Fouad Ahidar" [Sven Gatz rules out any majority in the Brussels Region with Team Fouad Ahidar]. BX1 (in French). Retrieved 2024-10-12.
8. "Good Move, point commun avec Bart De Wever, divergences avec Les Engagés, Fouad Ahidar… Georges-Louis Bouchez s'exprime sur les défis post-élections" [Good Move, common point with Bart De Wever, divergences with Les Engagés, Fouad Ahidar… Georges-Louis Bouchez speaks on the post-election challenges]. La Libre Belgique (in French). 2024-06-12. Retrieved 2024-10-12.
9. Christiaens, Eva (2024-08-05). "Uitgewezen imam van Molenbeek Mohamed Toujgani mag Belg worden" [Expelled imam of Molenbeek Mohamed Toujgani may become Belgian]. VRT News (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-10-12.
10. Van Renterghem, Bram (2022-01-17). "Dit had Staatsveiligheid tegen Toujgani: extremisme, Jodenhaat en spionage" [This is what state security had against Toujgani: extremism, anti-Semitism and espionage]. Bruzz (in Dutch). Retrieved 2024-10-12.