The head of a Muslim advocacy group whose research director praised Isis murderer “Jihadi John” has been banned by France on the basis that he would a pose a “serious threat to public order and the internal security of France”.

The director of Cage, Muhammad Rabbani, was said to have been detained in Paris for 24 hours last week and then sent back to London. 

The French government accused Rabbani of spreading conspiracy theories about “Islamophobic persecution” and has imposed a travel ban on him, according to the Guardian.

The French Interior Ministry also reportedly alleged Rabbani was part of a “radical Islamist movement” and “spreading slanderous words” about “supposed ‘Islamophobic persecution’ and mass surveillance by western governments, including France”. It was also said to have accused Cage of helping to radicalise Mohammed Emwazi, the notorious Isis terrorist known as “Jihadi John”, which Cage denies.

According to the Guardian, a French government document dated 31 October 2022 said about Rabbani:  “Given the particularly high terrorist threat, his presence on national territory would constitute a serious threat to public order and the internal security of France.”

Cage told the JC: “The French government’s rationale is based on entirely false and unproven allegations. Ultimately, The French government is threatened by an NGO holding them to account.”