Aziz Messaoudi Rhamssoussi

Aziz Messaoudi Rhamssoussi
عزيز مسعودي رمسوسي
Born
Aziz Messaoudi Rhamssoussi

EducationUniversity of the Basque Country
OccupationsSocial educator, community leader
Years active2011–present
Known forPresident of the Islamic Federation of the Basque Country (FIVASCO)
TitleDr.

Aziz Messaoudi Rhamssoussi (Arabic: عزيز مسعودي رمسوسي) is a Moroccan-born Spanish social educator, academic, and Islamic community leader. He serves as the president of the Islamic Federation of the Basque Country (Federación Islámica del País Vasco; FIVASCO), an organization that represents Muslim communities in the Basque Country and is integrated into the Islamic Commission of Spain.[1][2]

Education and career

Messaoudi holds a doctorate degree and works professionally as a social educator at Zabalduz, an organization based in Donostia-San Sebastián, where he works with unaccompanied foreign minors.[3] He is also a PhD candidate in Social Sciences at the University of the Basque Country (EHU/UPV).[4]

In addition to his academic activities, Messaoudi has collaborated as a speaker and trainer on professional approaches to addressing gender-based violence, working alongside academic institutions such as UNED.[5]

Community leadership and activism

As the legal representative and president of the Islamic Federation of the Basque Country (FIVASCO), Messaoudi is a prominent voice regarding the integration and rights of the Muslim population in northern Spain.[1] He acts as the legal representative for local religious entities, including the Al Fitrah Islamic Community of Tolosa in Gipuzkoa.[6]

Messaoudi has frequently advocated for public policy improvements, particularly regarding Islamic religious education in Basque schools. In 2022, he highlighted the bureaucratic hurdles and language requirements (such as the mandatory Euskara C1 certification) that limited the recruitment of accredited Islamic religion teachers in the region, noting that it created a bottleneck despite the classes being taught in Spanish.[7]

He is actively involved in interfaith dialogue and anti-discrimination initiatives. He has been a featured panelist in regional events, including the Basque Government's Congress against Religious Discrimination and the Christian–Muslim Dialogue Conferences organized by the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Burgos, where he defended religious freedom as a fundamental human right.[4][8]

References

  1. 1 2 "Registro de Entidades Religiosas: Federación Islámica del País Vasco". maper.mjusticia.gob.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  2. ↑ Archiburgos News (27 May 2026). "«El derecho de los derechos es la libertad religiosa»" (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  3. ↑ "Dr. Aziz Messaoudi - Educador social en Zabalduz". LinkedIn (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  4. 1 2 "Estrategias para avanzar en la lucha antidiscriminatoria: IV Congreso Vasco" (PDF). Euskadi.eus (in Spanish). Basque Government. 16 October 2025. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  5. ↑ "Aberto o prazo de matrícula no curso sobre abordaxe profesional da violencia machista". Concello de Xinzo de Limia (in Spanish). 7 November 2019. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  6. ↑ "Registro de Entidades Religiosas: Comunidad Islámica Al Fitrah de Tolosa". maper.mjusticia.gob.es (in Spanish). Ministry of the Presidency, Justice and Relations with the Cortes. Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  7. ↑ Chávarri, Inés P. (8 September 2022). "La exigencia del euskera deja el País Vasco sin profesores de religión islámica". ABC (in Spanish). Retrieved 11 August 2026.
  8. ↑ "XVII Jornadas de Diálogo Cristiano-Musulmán". Archidiócesis de Burgos (in Spanish). 18 May 2026. Retrieved 11 August 2026.