The Muslim Brotherhood in Europe.. Six Decades Until the Masks Fall!
After decades of presenting itself in Europe as the representative of Muslims and a partner for governments in dialogue and integration, the Muslim Brotherhood today faces the prospect of having some of its institutions and leaders placed on European terrorist lists. I find this shift to be a paradox worth pondering: the group that long benefited from the openness of European democracies is now being held accountable within those very democracies. For many years, European governments treated Islamic institutions and associations as part of civil society, granting some official recognition and funding. However, concerns have been mounting that some of these institutions went beyond religious and charitable work, seeking to build political and ideological influence within European societies.
Specifically in France, a 2025 government report revealed concerns about a gradual infiltration strategy linked to the Muslim Brotherhood affecting institutions and society, followed by a French parliamentary move in January 2026 calling for an examination of classifying the group on terrorist lists. A few days ago, the European Parliament voted by a large majority on a resolution calling for a strategy to counter the influence of Muslim Brotherhood networks. I do not believe the significance of the resolution lies in the voting numbers, but rather in its content and potential consequences. The Parliament has called on the Council of the European Union to study the inclusion of individuals and entities linked to the Brotherhood on the European terrorist list. Although the resolution does not constitute an actual terrorist designation, it opens the door to legal measures that could lead to such a classification. It also calls for moving beyond the group’s overt organizational fronts to include a review of its financial networks, institutions, and affiliated platforms.
The aspect I find most impactful is the call for the European Commission to review funds that have reached institutions linked to the Brotherhood and to trace their ultimate beneficiaries. Money has always been a fundamental element in building and expanding influence, and restricting its sources could weaken these networks’ ability to sustain themselves. Furthermore, there is a call to reconsider granting these institutions political recognition and funding, particularly given concerns that their ideological project conflicts with the principles of democracy and equality before the law. If these recommendations are transformed into binding decisions, we may witness asset freezes and financing bans, along with other legal measures against individuals and entities listed.
However, what strikes me most in all of this is the shift in the European question. The question has changed from “How do we deal with the Brotherhood as part of the Islamic landscape?” to “Were the institutions sheltered by Europe, at the same time, promoting a political project that contradicts European values?” I personally wonder: Why did Europeans need sixty years to reach this conclusion? Was it not enough to listen to the experiences of ordinary people in their own Islamic countries? To those who knew the group up close and experienced its opportunism, its shifting rhetoric, and the contradictions in its positions?
Perhaps what disturbs me most about the Brotherhood’s experience is not merely the instrumentalization of religion in politics; this is something many societies have known throughout history. What truly disturbs me is their attempt to convince people that their political project is Islam itself, and that opposing them means opposing religion. Here, in my view, lies the greatest offense the group has committed against Islam: reducing a great religion that accommodates millions of people into a narrow partisan project, and turning faith into a means of power struggle and political disagreement into a dispute over religion itself.
I sincerely hope that Europe, as it reevaluates its relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, recognizes a simple truth known to many of us: Muslims are not the Muslim Brotherhood, and Islam is far broader than a single group that claims to represent it. Dr. Mohammed Al-Wahab
