Ce mercredi 4 mars, une conférence organisée au Parlement européen à Bruxelles remet au premier plan un débat de plus en plus sensible au sein des démocraties européennes : l’influence de l’islam politique, et plus particulièrement du mouvement des Frères musulmans, sur le continent européen. Intitulée « Protéger l’Europe – Dénoncer la menace croissante des Frères musulmans », cette manifestation réunit des députés européens, des chercheurs, des analystes et des représentants de communautés victimes de violences extrémistes. Organisée par le Mouvement international pour la paix et la coexistence (IMPAC), la conférence se tient dans l’enceinte du Parlement européen, conférant ainsi aux débats une dimension politique et symbolique importante. Plus d’informations sur l’événement et son programme sont disponibles ici : https://im-pac.org/en/event/safeguarding-europe-exposing-the-growing-threat-of-the-muslim-brotherhood/
To understand the significance of this conference, it is important to first explain who the Muslim Brotherhood are. The movement was founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, a schoolteacher and religious preacher who sought to respond to what he perceived as the decline of the Muslim world following the fall of the Ottoman Caliphate and the expansion of Western influence across the Middle East. The organization developed around the idea that Islam should not be confined to the spiritual sphere but should guide the organization of society, politics and institutions. The movement’s famous slogan, “Islam is the solution,” reflects this ambition to embed religion at the center of social and political governance.
Over the decades, the Muslim Brotherhood evolved into a transnational network with influence across the Middle East, North Africa and parts of Europe. The movement typically combines religious activism, social welfare work, political engagement and long-term ideological influence within educational, charitable and community organizations. In some countries, political parties linked to the Brotherhood have participated in or even led governments, while in others the movement has been banned and designated a threat to national security. Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, for example, have classified the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. In Europe, however, the situation is more complex. The Brotherhood does not operate as a single centralized organization but rather as a constellation of associations, religious structures and civil society organizations that may share ideological references with the movement.
It is precisely this question of ideological and political influence within European societies that lies at the heart of the conference held at the European Parliament. The event is hosted by Dutch Member of the European Parliament Bert-Jan Ruissen and co-organized with Czech Member of the European Parliament Tomáš Zdechovský. The overall moderation of the event is led by Patricia Teitelbaum, President of the International Movement for Peace and Coexistence.
The conference opens with a symbolic moment dedicated to the memory of victims of Islamist extremism. A work of art by Israeli artist Yaron Bob is presented inside the European Parliament. The artist is known for transforming fragments of rockets that fell on Israel into sculptures symbolizing peace in his well-known series “Rockets into Roses.” The purpose of this artistic presentation is to highlight the human cost of extremist violence and to convey a message of resilience and coexistence.
The analytical part of the conference brings together several experts specializing in political Islam and radicalization dynamics. Researcher Hamad Alhosani, director of the political Islam studies program at the research center TRENDS Research & Advisory, presents an analysis of the ideological and organizational networks associated with the Muslim Brotherhood at the international level. Imam Muhammad Tawhidi, often referred to as the “Imam of Peace” and known for his outspoken opposition to Islamist extremism, addresses the tensions that may arise between certain political interpretations of Islam and the values of democratic societies.
French researcher Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, widely known for her work on the ideological networks of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, provides an analysis of what she describes as the cultural, economic and associative strategies used by the movement to expand its influence within Western societies. Political analyst Tommaso Virgili, a specialist in radicalization and adviser at the AJC Transatlantic Institute, examines the political and security implications of these dynamics for European institutions. Scholar Charles Asher Small, founding director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy, discusses the intersections between certain Islamist ideologies, contemporary antisemitism and broader forms of political radicalization.
The final part of the conference gives the floor to witnesses from communities that have directly experienced violence perpetrated by extremist Islamist groups in the Middle East. This segment is moderated by Ernest Herzog of the World Jewish Congress. Among the speakers is Iranian human rights activist Sadaf Daneshizadeh, who has been involved in movements protesting against the Iranian regime. Druze activist Rama Aboras also shares her perspective on the challenges faced by minority communities in Syria.
Kurdish journalist Rhodi Mellek, originally from northern Syria and a representative of the autonomous administration of Rojava to European institutions, addresses the Kurdish experience in confronting extremist organizations. Shadi Khaloul, a representative of the Aramean Maronite community and an advocate for Christian minorities in the Middle East, also participates to highlight the struggles faced by Christian communities confronted with extremist violence in the region.
Beyond the conference itself, the event reflects a broader debate currently unfolding across Europe. Since the wave of jihadist attacks that struck several European capitals over the past decade, questions related to political Islam and ideological radicalization have increasingly moved to the center of discussions about security, social cohesion and the resilience of democratic institutions.
Some policymakers argue that Europe has long underestimated the ideological influence of networks linked to political Islam, which may operate through gradual influence within associations, educational environments and public debates rather than through direct violence. Others warn against the risk of conflating Islam, Islamism and Muslim communities in Europe, stressing the importance of protecting fundamental freedoms, including religious liberty and democratic pluralism.
Part of the difficulty of the debate lies in the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood does not function as a single centralized global organization operating uniformly across countries. Instead, it exists as a loose constellation of movements, associations and political actors sharing certain ideological references while adapting their strategies to different national contexts. This decentralized structure makes any attempt to legally categorize or sanction the movement at an international level particularly complex.
In this context, the conference held at the European Parliament illustrates a deeper question facing European democracies today. After years primarily focused on combating violent jihadist terrorism, European institutions are increasingly confronted with a more subtle but equally strategic challenge: how to understand and respond to the ideological influence of transnational movements that operate within open democratic societies while promoting, according to their critics, political visions of religion that may conflict with the principles of pluralism and liberal democracy.
