Mohamed Ali Harrath (born 20 February 1963), is a Tunisian activist, businessman and the founder and CEO of the Islam Channel.
Biography
Adult life After his release in the mid-1980s, he travelled to Tehran, inspired by the thought of the Iranian Revolution, though he was disappointed by the reality of life there.Jonathan Steele, 'Half a Revolution: Jonathan Steele reports from Tunisia', London Review of Books, Vol. 33. No. 6 (17 March 2011), pp. 36–40 He helped found the Tunisian Islamic Front (FIT) in 1986: though he has characterised the organization as a non-violent political party in opposition to Ben Ali's dictatorship, the Tunisian regime, under Ben Ali, characterized it as advocating "an Islamic state by means of armed revolutionary violence".Richard Kerbaj & Dominic Kennedy, , The Times, 16 December 2008
He was forced into exile from Tunisia, and at the Tunisian Government's request was placed on an Interpol Red Notice in 1992.Jonathan Clayton & Dominic Kennedy, Mohamed Ali Harrath, Islamic TV chief, is held over terror claims, The Times, 26 January 2010 He entered England in October 1995, and claimed political asylum. In October 2000 he was granted refugee status and indefinite leave to stay in the UK.Richard Kerbaj & Dominic Kennedy, Unanswered questions about a ‘man of peace’ on Interpol list, The Times, 15 December 2008.
He founded the Islam Channel in 2004 and is the current CEO. He also organised the first Global Peace and Unity event in 2005, attracting over 50,000 members of the public annually. In 2010, he travelled to Kigali, Rwanda, where he met and awarded President Paul Kagame for his services to humanity.Paul Kagame Official Website, President Kagame receives GPU award, 9 December 2010.
In February 2011 he returned to Tunisia after 21 years of exile, where he was welcomed by many Tunisians at Tunis-Carthage International Airport.
Harrath won £140,000 in libel damages after a website owned by Stand For Peace Ltd claimed that Harrath was a convicted terrorist. In 2025 he invested in the Tribune Media Group.
References
External links Interview with Stephen Sackur on the BBC programme HARDtalk, first broadcast 25 March 2010