Sheikh Al-Bijou was forcibly taken from his religious center (zawiya) in the Bouatni district of Benghazi in February 2024.
Sheikh Muftah Al-Bijou, head of the Qadiriyya Sufi order in Libya, has been released after more than a year in detention. The news was confirmed by the Supreme Council of Islamic Sufism in Libya.
In a statement marking his release, the Sufi Council welcomed his freedom and reiterated its condemnation of arbitrary detentions targeting religious leaders in Libya. The council also renewed its demand for the immediate release of other Sufi scholars, preachers, and clerics who remain in detention across the country.
“The suffering endured by Sheikh Al-Bijou over the past year must not be repeated. We call on all authorities to respect the sanctity of religious institutions and to end the practice of targeting spiritual leaders for their beliefs or religious affiliations,” the statement read.
The arrest and detention of Al-Bijou were widely seen as part of a broader pattern of hostility toward Sufi practices and leaders.
While his release was met with relief by his supporters, it has also reignited calls for legal accountability and for Libya’s fragmented authorities to safeguard freedom of belief, religious plurality, and due process.
Rights observers note that the case reflects deeper issues related to the absence of judicial oversight, and the targeting of non-political religious figures in Libya’s ongoing power struggles.
