The creeping ideological threats facing European democracies in 2025 pose serious challenges analogous to latent illnesses often symptomless initially but capable of causing profound damage if unchecked. Democracy in Europe is under multifaceted attack from within and outside, with disinformation campaigns, erosion of public trust, rise of authoritarianism, and socio-political polarization steadily undermining democratic norms.
Unlike acute crises, these threats fester gradually, pushing institutions toward a tipping point where recovery becomes much more difficult. The impact transcends political institutions to affect social cohesion, media integrity, and the rule of law, demanding urgent and strategic interventions akin to a societal health emergency.
The evolving landscape includes sophisticated foreign interference blending digital subversion and hybrid threats, while internal failings such as exclusionary politics and declining citizen faith in governments create fertile ground for illiberal movements to gain ground. Notably, countries like Hungary, Italy, and the Netherlands illustrate how democratic institutions face internal erosion by forces exploiting democratic openings.
The Gradual Spread of Islamism
This is precisely the type of problem France and indeed, the entire European continent must now address. A recently declassified official 73-page report, commissioned by French Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, warns about the gradual spread of radical Islamism (not only) in French society. According to the French newspaper Le Figaro, the findings are alarming:
“The country is being undermined from within by the Muslim Brotherhood, which has established a vast network of operations,”
the report states.
According to the report, France has 139 prayer rooms associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Another 68 locations are ideologically connected to the Brotherhood, although they deny it. These constitute around seven percent of the approximately 2,800 Muslim places of worship in the country. The report states that around 91,000 worshippers attend these mosques for Friday prayers.
Pan-European Influence and Lobbying
Recent exploration reveals that the Muslim Brotherhood functions not simply on public situations but operates pan-Europe, seeking to impact crucial European Union institutions via expansive prompting sweats and ideological networks.
Prominent organisations include the Council of European Muslims( CEM), which serves as a marquee body, and the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO), utilised as a training ground for new movement leaders. This represents a strategic embedding of the Brotherhood within European fabrics, giving it significant influence beyond individual member countries.
Propaganda in Schools and Online
This may seem like a relatively small number, considering the size of the Muslim community in France. However, it would be a mistake to assume that the Brotherhood only uses mosques to spread its ideology. Unsurprisingly, it also uses digital propaganda and educational activities, especially targeting young people.
On social media, influence is spread by “influencers” who are
“often the first point of contact with Islam and act as a bridge between Islamist ideologies and young French-speaking Europeans.”
The report points out
“activism by a new generation of preachers, often trained by leading religious leaders of the movement and exposed to hybridization with Salafism,”
which
“is a major factor in the spread of Islamism via social networks, reaching wide audiences.”
The Brotherhood clearly places particular importance on education. The report even states that this occurs “to a degree not seen in other European countries.” A total of 21 schools directly or indirectly linked to the Brotherhood were identified, with a total of 4,200 students.
One such school is the Lycée Averroès in Lille, considered the flagship of Islamic education in France.
Security Concerns Across Europe
Intelligence and security agencies across multiple European nations including France, Germany, Belgium, and the UK have identified the Brotherhood’s activities as subversive, alleging efforts to promote parallel societies that isolate Muslim communities, fostering conditions conducive to radicalisation.
The Brotherhood’s use of educational institutions and social networks for this purpose illustrates the multi-layered security challenge facing European governments today.
Objective: Dismantling Democracy
The Brotherhood may present itself as moderate, but appearances are misleading. A report by the French Interior Ministry highlights the organization’s dual structure and true ambitions: an official structure that complies with French law, allowing it to operate legally and covertly.
Publicly, it assumes the role of victim, denouncing Islamophobia and promoting halal certification. At the same time, it builds parallel structures in secret. A second, unofficial structure exists.
This consists of a council of imams who secretly plan long-term strategies to spread influence and gain new supporters. The Brotherhood’s establishment strategy is thus built on deception and the manipulation of Islamophobia narratives.
To understand the concern, it is important to know the roots of the Brotherhood’s ideology. For Egyptian theologian and thinker Hassan al-Banna, who founded the organization in the 1920s, a revived Islam was to be the answer to Western incursion into Muslim lands.
He declared,
“The Muslim Brotherhood is like a great hall into which any Muslim can enter through any door and share what he wishes. If he seeks Sufism, it is there. If he seeks understanding of Islamic law, it is there. If he seeks sports and scouting, it is there. If he seeks combat and armed struggle, it is there.”
His plan had two goals: the creation of an Islamic state and the implementation of Sharia law. His strategy for conquering the West was as follows:
“We will pursue this evil force into its own lands, penetrate its Western heart, and fight until we defeat it, until the entire world calls out in the name of the Prophet.”
Yes, you read that correctly. The ultimate goal of the Muslim Brotherhood is the domination of the West, the destruction of democratic systems, and the establishment of Islamist rule. The movement has not deviated from its founding goals, and this must be recognized.
Poorly Concealed Antisemitism
In light of current events, it is also worth mentioning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which plays a major role in the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood. It serves as fertile ground not only for anti-Zionism but also for increasingly evident antisemitism, supported by conspiracy theories, “reductio ad Israel” rhetoric (conflating Israelis with all Jews), Islamic anti-Judaism, and notions of inherent hostility between Jews and Muslims.
The study also states that
“antisemitism remains present in the discourse of movement members,”
and since the October 7 attacks, there has been an increase in anti-Zionist activity in mosques. Well-informed sources claim that
“anti-Zionist preachers and speakers were invited to the mosque in Massy to discuss the situation in Palestine.”
A former Palestinian minister reportedly declared “I am Hamas” to applause. This is hardly surprising, given that the terrorist organization Hamas originally emerged from the Muslim Brotherhood.
Governmental Responses and Monitoring
In response to these threats, European governments have boosted efforts to cover and fight Brotherhood- linked organisations. France, Germany, Belgium, and the UK have legislated programs targeting Islamist racialism and foreign influence.
The French Interior Ministry’s report commanded renewed political focus on covert Brotherhood networks that undermine temporal and popular values, prompting an elaboration in Europe’s approach to addressing this challenge.
Not Just a French Problem
The document also highlights a network of organizations active in Brussels, Berlin, Amsterdam, and Vienna. A central role is played by the Council of European Muslims (CEM) and its subordinate groups, including Europe Trust as a financial base, as well as humanitarian organizations and imam training structures.
According to the report, these networks even take advantage of programs like Erasmus+ and other EU funds to secure financing, which is allegedly used in ways that conflict with their stated purposes and with European values.
The Muslim Brotherhood also maintains strong national structures across Europe. Belgium is considered the Brotherhood’s European center. It is followed by Austria and Germany, where the Millî Görüş movement, an Islamist branch inspired by the Brotherhood and linked directly to Turkey is active. The Netherlands, Denmark, and Sweden are identified as countries with a smaller but significant presence of this network.
Warnings That Went Unheeded
The report concludes that the French state’s actions against the Muslim Brotherhood continue to be hampered by a lack of understanding of the threat’s seriousness. It also emphasizes that the Brotherhood relies on time and is quietly becoming embedded in both French and European society.
This is not surprising. I have been warning about this since at least the autumn of 2022, when I organized the largest-ever conference on the Muslim Brotherhood in the European Parliament. Even then, we warned about its influence and activities in Europe, stating that the EU is funding its own threat.
Back then, I said that the Brotherhood was active in about 14 EU member states and that, while it may appear to be a harmless prayer group or educational initiative, it is systematically building a network designed to one day enforce Sharia law in EU territory or suppress the rights of minorities and women.
At the time, French representatives claimed the problem was exaggerated. But now even they admit that we were right. Unfortunately, in the meantime, we have lost valuable time and space time the Brotherhood has used to further expand its influence.
Europe must act. And it must act quickly.
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