Abrahamic Movement Belgium Launches Under Manel Msalmi, an Award-Winning Voice Against Antisemitism | Faith & Freedom News

Faith & Freedom News / World

Abrahamic Movement Belgium Launches Under Manel Msalmi, an Award-Winning Voice Against Antisemitism

Founder Tom Wegner names the Brussels-based researcher and human-rights advocate as Chair, promising “a home for every community in the country.”

By Khurram Ali RazaWorld Desk, Faith & Freedom News (FFN) · November 15, 2026

Manel Msalmi standing in the United Nations assembly hall in Geneva — Manel Msalmi at the United Nations in Geneva, one of the venues where she has spoken on women’s rights and freedom of belief.

BRUSSELS — The Abrahamic Movement is opening a Belgian chapter, and it has chosen a leader whose career has been built around the issues the chapter was created to face. In a LinkedIn post, Tom Wegner, founder and CEO of Abrahamic Movement Global, announced the appointment of Manel Msalmi as Chair of the Abrahamic Movement Belgium.

Wegner framed the launch as a response to antisemitism and hate speech in Europe. His full announcement is reproduced below.

Tom Wegner, Founder and CEO, Abrahamic Movement Global · View the original post on LinkedIn

In the face of antisemitism and hate speech in Europe, the Abrahamic Movement Belgium is now launching, led by a woman who has won awards for fighting them.

I am pleased to appoint Manel Msalmi as Chair of the Abrahamic Movement Belgium.

Manel is a researcher and expert in international politics, specializing in Middle Eastern issues, gender equality, and the fight against extremism. She is the president of the European Association for the Defence of Minorities, co-president of Engagement to Halt Antisemitism and Negationism, and editor-in-chief of Faith and Freedom News. She has founded numerous initiatives for human rights and women’s leadership, and is an author and a frequent speaker for the UN, the EU, and European universities. She is a lecturer in “Human Rights Advocacy” at a school of public relations in Paris. She has received numerous awards for her work against antisemitism and hate speech, and for promoting peace and interfaith dialogue.

Under her leadership, the Abrahamic Movement Belgium will be a home for every community in the country.

“Under her leadership, the Abrahamic Movement Belgium will be a home for every community in the country.”

A leadership role built on many hats

Wegner’s announcement lists a wide range of roles. Beyond leading the new Belgian chapter, Msalmi presides over the European Association for the Defence of Minorities and co-presides Engagement to Halt Antisemitism and Negationism. The diagram below maps the roles named in the post.

Roles named in the announcement

Where her work has focused

Publicly available profiles describe Msalmi as Tunisian-born, Belgian-Tunisian and based in Brussels. Select a topic to see how her record is described.

Manel Msalmi speaking at a microphone — Msalmi addressing a public gathering.

Manel Msalmi in a video interview with subtitles — In a video interview, speaking on freedom of speech and religious freedom.

Manel Msalmi beside the European Union flag — Msalmi beside the EU flag at a European institution.

From liberal politics to a faith-based chair

Msalmi has been active in Belgian liberal politics since 2010, according to her MENA2050 member profile. The key dates in that public record are below.

2010
Begins activity in Belgium’s liberal politics.
2018
Receives a human-rights-related honor (see the awards section below).
May 2019
Stands as a candidate in the Brussels regional elections; reported as a UNESCO project partner from 2019.
2021
Elected president of the liberal women’s section in the City of Brussels.
2024
Runs as a liberal candidate in the Brussels municipal elections, with a platform of minority inclusion, equality and combating extremism, per EU Today.
2025
Receives the Global Peace Building Award, per Circle of Sustainable Europe.
2026
Named Chair of the Abrahamic Movement Belgium.

Recognitions and a note on sourcing

Msalmi’s publicly documented recognitions include a 2018 human-rights-related honor and a 2025 Global Peace Building Award. The sources describe the first somewhat differently, so its exact name and issuing body should be treated cautiously.

Recognition	Year	What sources say
Global Peace Building Award	2025	Circle of Sustainable Europe states that she received this award in 2025. Source
“Top Young Active People in Belgium” / 2018 World Human Rights Prize recognition	2018	A 2020 video profile says she was among Belgium’s “Top Young active people” for the 2018 World Human Rights Prize; earlier biographical material refers to a “Top Human Rights” award in 2018. Source
Respect Zone ambassador	Not a dated prize	She has been described as a Respect Zone ambassador in Belgium for work against online hate speech in education; this is an ambassadorial recognition rather than a conventional award.

Public profiles portray Msalmi as a prominent advocate for women, minorities and liberal democratic values. At least one advocacy-oriented source, NGO Report, presents a sharply critical view of her and the European Association for the Defence of Minorities, alleging alignment with UAE-linked lobbying and selective human-rights advocacy. These are contested characterizations, not neutral biographical facts.

About Manel Msalmi

Manel Msalmi is a Belgian-Tunisian researcher, human-rights advocate and political figure based in Brussels. She is best known as the founder and president of the European Association for the Defense of Minorities (EADM) and for her work on gender equality, minority rights, extremism, antisemitism and MENA affairs.

She specializes in international relations, environmental humanities and American studies, holds an MA in international politics, and studied international relations at the CERIS diplomatic school at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB). She has collaborated with the European Commission and European Parliament as an expert on climate change, the Arab Spring and gender equality, and has advised parliamentarians on MENA issues, gender equality and counter-radicalization. She has also been affiliated with ELNET as an ambassador in Belgium, and her EADM work is profiled by PR Underground.