Karim Benzema Sues French Politician Over Muslim Brotherhood Accusation

Karim Benzema has filed a defamation lawsuit against a French politician who accused him of having links with the Muslim Brotherhood.

France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin said in October that Benzema "has a notorious link" with the Sunni Muslim Islamist group.

The Muslim Brotherhood is banned in multiple countries, including Saudi Arabia - where Benzema has been playing for Al-Ittihad since June.

Benzema's lawyer said that Darmanin's comment "undermines" the footballer's honor and reputation.

Darmanin's comment in October came after Benzema posted a message of support on social media for the people of Gaza under attack from the Israeli military. 

Benzema said that Palestinians were "victims again of unjust bombardments which spare neither women nor children". 

Darmanin criticized Benzema for failing to express similar sympathy for around 1,300 Israeli victims killed by Hamas on October 7.

Hamas is the Palestinian Sunni Islamist political and military organization that currently governs the Gaza Strip.

Karim Benzema is suing France's interior minister Gerald Darmanin for defamation

IMAGO/NurPhoto/Jose Breton

Darmanin said that Benzema was "well-known for his links with the Muslim Brotherhood".

The politician added: "We are fighting the hydra that is the Muslim Brotherhood, because it creates an atmosphere of jihadism."

Benzema refuted Darmanin's claim about him in a 92-page complaint.

In it, he said that he "has never had the slightest link with the Muslim Brotherhood organization, nor to his knowledge with anyone who claims to be a member of it".

The former France striker added: "I am aware of the extent to which, because of my notoriety, I am being used in political games, which are all the more scandalous given that the dramatic events since October 7 deserve something quite different from this type of statement."

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928 in Egypt, although it is now banned in the North African country.

It has provided the rationale for many modern-day Islamist organizations, including Hamas.