Waleed Al-Husseini

As a refugee in France, Al-Husseini spoke publicly in favor of secularism, laïcité, freedom of conscience and speech, especially the right to criticize religion. He has become increasingly critical of the political and intellectual milieu in his host country; in 2017, he published his second book, Une trahison française : Les collaborationnistes de l'islam radical devoilés ("A French Treason: The Collaborators of Radical Islam Unveiled") where he argued that "many politicians" and "intellectuals" in France had "betrayed" the ideals of the secular French Republic over the last decades, accusing them of being "collaborators" who have played in favor of "radical Islam" out of desire to get Muslims' votes and/or adherence to "Third-Worldism".

In 2016, Al-Husseini was in Denmark taking part in a debate about ”Islam and Atheism” where he and other ex-Muslims debated the consequences of apostasy from Islam, and during the debate-conference it was necessary to have some heavily armed police guarding due to threats from religious Muslims. In this context, Al-Husseini stated that when he arrived in France he expected to live a normal life without problem as an atheist being in a European country, but it has not been the case since he and other ex-Muslims have been persecuted by other Muslims even in Europe.

In early 2015, while preparing the release of his autobiography in the midst of a series of Islamist terrorist attacks in Paris, Al-Husseini made several appearances on French talk shows and news programs, and wrote an opinion piece on the need to reform Islam which was published on the website of daily newspaper Le Monde. He was also the subject of a four-page piece in French news magazine Marianne. In January, he published his autobiography, Blasphémateur ! : les prisons d'Allah (which was translated in English in 2017 as The Blasphemer: The Price I Paid for Rejecting Islam) writing about how he came to reject Islam through his studies of Islamic literature and history, and recounting his blogging, his arrest (alleging that he was tortured in prison) and subsequent flight to France. In his media appearances and book he makes calls in favor of the French principles of secularism and states his belief that there must be more debate on what he considers to be the violent content of parts of the Islamic texts, especially in the wake of the massacres at Charlie Hebdo magazine and the Jewish Hyper Casher supermarket in Paris in early 2015.

On 6 July 2013, Waleed Al-Husseini and around 30 other former Muslims founded the Council of Ex-Muslims of France (CEMF). The Council presents itself as "composed of atheists, free thinkers, humanists and ex -Muslims who take a stand to promote reason, universal rights and secularism." He opposes "any discrimination and all abuse" that would justify "respect for religion" requires "freedom to criticize religions" and "the prohibition of customs, rules, ceremonies or religious activities that are incompatible with or violate the rights and freedoms of the people." It also boasts "the prohibition of any cultural or religious practice that hinders or opposes the autonomy of women, their will and equality." The CEMF condemns "any interference by any authority, family or parental or official authorities in the private lives of women and men in their emotional and sexual relationships, and sexuality". A Facebook page was devoted to the activity of CEMF. In this regard, Waleed Al-Husseini was interviewed by journalist Caroline Fourest at France Inter on the radio programme Ils changent le monde (They change the world).

Waleed Al-Husseini or Walid Husayin (Arabic: وليد الحسيني ‎) is a Palestinian atheist, secularist essayist, writer, blogger, self-professed ex-Muslim and founder of the Council of Ex-Muslims of France. Born and raised in Qalqilya in the West Bank, he has been living in France since 2012.

Al-Husseini, who published material satirizing religion on the Internet, was arrested in October 2010 by the Palestinian Authority for allegedly blaspheming against Islam on Facebook and in blog posts. His arrest garnered international attention, and Al-Husseini claimed he was tortured during his time in prison. After being released, Al-Husseini, fearing for his personal safety, sought asylum in France, which was granted to him in 2012. Since then, he has spoken in favor of secularism and against the development of radical and political Islam in France and abroad, arguing that radical Islam poses a threat to the secular French Republic.

After Palestinian Authority (PA) intelligence was tipped off, intelligence officials monitored him for several weeks. On October 31, 2010, Waleed Al-Husseini was arrested as he sat in the café. In November 2010, the Ma'an News Agency filed the first report on the arrest of the "controversial blogger whose postings on Facebook had infuriated Muslims."

In early December 2010, Waleed Al-Husseini posted a letter to his family on his blog in which he apologized for offending Muslims and sought forgiveness for what he called his "stupidity". A friend, who spoke anonymously because of the sensitivity of the issue, said Husayen posted the letter in hopes of winning release from prison. Al-Husseini states in his 2015 autobiography Blasphémateur he did not write it, but discovered it on leaving custody and reaccessing the Internet to find out what people had been writing about him during his imprisonment. "I came across my blog, also, and I was sickened to see that the only left on it was a statement by the Palestinian Authority, in my name, excusing myself and as asking for forgiveness for having blasphemed Islam. Five years of work and over two million visitors had vanished".

In December 2010, a Palestinian security source said Waleed Al-Husseini would continue to be kept in jail for his own protection: "It is impossible to release him because we are afraid he will be killed by his family." Human Rights Watch has urged the PA to release or charge him, citing that holding him without charge for more than 72 hours violates Palestinian law.

In the late 2010s, Al-Husseini was accused in the French press of spreading misinformation or fake news through social media, notably on the topic of Islam. One such instance involved a Twitter post illustrated by a picture of women wearing veils and large, loose-fit Islamic dresses (jilbāb) which Al-Husseini alleged was taken in the streets of Roubaix in northern France, while it was in fact taken in Tunisia.

Waleed Al-Husseini, born June 25, 1989, is from the West Bank city of Qalqilyah. As a university student, he studied computer science but remained unemployed and instead helped out a few hours a day at his father's one-chair barber shop. Acquaintances described him as an "ordinary guy" who regularly prayed at the mosque on Fridays.

The PA did not give any explanation as to why Waleed Al-Husseini has been arrested. According to a Palestinian human rights expert, if Husayen would be tried, it would be according to a 1960 Jordanian law against defaming religion which is still in force in the West Bank. Tayseer Tamimi, the former chief Islamic judge in the area, said that Husayin is the first person to be arrested in the West Bank for their religious views.