(With the latest intelligence reports, statistics, and political developments on banning the Brotherhood in the US, Europe, and the Middle East)
Sherzad MamSani (EastMed SSI contributor)
Head of the Israel-Kurdistan Alliance Network
The Muslim Brotherhood is a transnational Islamist movement with a decentralized networked structure, operating through both public political participation and covert activities. Historically, it has inspired more radical offshoots—most notably Hamas, which is the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood and has been designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) by the United States since 1997. This ideological and organizational linkage makes the Brotherhood a critical node in the ecosystem of radicalization, capable of facilitating or indirectly enabling violent extremism, even when its leadership avoids openly calling for violence.
Since October 7, 2023, a wave of trans-ideological mobilization has surged across Europe and the US: anti-Semitic rhetoric has escalated both online and on the streets, with extreme Islamist narratives converging with far-left and, in some cases, far-right radical activism. European intelligence agencies have explicitly noted that the Gaza war has significantly heightened terrorist threats inside the EU in 2024.
1) Identity, Structure, and Ties to Hamas
- Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Brotherhood evolved into an international network using NGOs, unions, religious associations, and student organizations as both overt and covert platforms.
- Hamas historically emerged from the Brotherhood and draws on its ideological and doctrinal framework. Hamas has been on the US FTO list since 1997. While not every Brotherhood-affiliated entity engages in violence, there are well-documented ideological and organizational overlaps.
Methodological note: Intelligence and law enforcement statistics focus on jihadist or Islamist-inspired crimes—not on “Muslims” as a religious category.
2) Legal Status: Bans and Surveillance
Middle East:
- Egypt designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in December 2013. Saudi Arabia and the UAE did the same. Jordan, in April 2025, formally banned the Brotherhood and confiscated its assets following a court decision to dissolve it in 2020.
- Turkey served as a haven for Brotherhood leaders after 2013. However, since 2024, signs of selective restrictions—such as revoking citizenship of a prominent Brotherhood figure—have emerged as Ankara normalizes ties with Cairo. This has not amounted to a complete severance.
Europe:
- No EU-wide ban exists. Instead, member states rely on intelligence monitoring, targeting front organizations and funding channels. German domestic intelligence (BfV) describes the Brotherhood as working “long-term to reshape society in ways incompatible with constitutional principles.”
- Actions include Austria’s “Operation Luxor” in 2020 against Islamist and Brotherhood-linked networks (many cases later dismissed in court), France’s administrative dissolution of Islamist NGOs, and Germany’s 2024 ban of the Islamic Centre of Hamburg (linked to Iran’s Shia networks).
United States:
- Washington has not formally designated the Brotherhood as an FTO. The Trump administration explored the move in 2019 but did not finalize it. In 2025, a bipartisan bill—the “Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act”—was introduced in Congress. The State Department has emphasized that such designations require rigorous legal standards.
3) Intelligence Assessments Since the Gaza War
Europol TE-SAT 2025 (covering 2024):
- 58 terrorist attacks (completed, failed, or foiled) in the EU; 24 were jihadist (up from 14 in 2023).
- 449 terrorism-related arrests, 289 of them jihadist-related.
- Jihadist terrorism was the deadliest, with 5 fatalities and 18 injuries. The report explicitly notes that the Gaza war fueled radicalization across ideological lines and that anti-Semitism was a common denominator in online violent extremist propaganda.
United Kingdom:
- MI5’s October 2024 threat update described the environment as “the most complex ever,” with persistent concerns over ISIS, al-Qaeda, and lone actors.
- The Home Office’s quarterly counterterrorism statistics (as of March 2025) track terrorism-related arrests and outcomes.
United States:
- FBI Director Christopher Wray has repeatedly warned of an “elevated threat” environment linked to the Gaza war, with concern over homegrown inspired attackers and sharp spikes in hate crimes against Jews, alongside increases in anti-Muslim incidents.
4) Exploiting the Gaza War: Brotherhood Rhetoric and Cross-Ideological Street Alliances
- Studies by the Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD) highlight how,after October 7, extremist Islamist and far-left networks amplified anti-Semitic narratives both online and offline.
- The UK government’s 2015 Jenkins Review found that the Brotherhood historically built front organizations such as the Muslim Association of Britain to pursue its agenda through civil society engagement.
Anti-Semitism trends post–October 7:
- EU TE-SAT 2025: anti-Semitism was a “common denominator” in violent extremist online propaganda in 2024.
- France: Interior Ministry data show record-high anti-Semitic incidentsafter October 7.
- Germany: BKA statistics reveal a doubling of anti-Semitic crimes in 2023 and further increases in 2024.
- US: The ADL recorded 9,354 anti-Semitic incidents in 2024—the highest on record.
5) Turkey, the Brotherhood, and the Kurdish Street
- The largest pro-Palestine rally organized by President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was in Istanbul on October 28, 2023, attracting hundreds of thousands.
- Claims of “monthly mass Brotherhood rallies in a Kurdish city” lack verifiable open-source evidence; large-scale gatherings documented were in Istanbul.
- The PKK, while opposing Israel in its far-left discourse, remains designated as a terrorist organization by the US, EU, and Turkey. The Kurdish political landscape is diverse and cannot be reduced to a unified anti-Israel position.
6) Statistics on Islamist-Inspired Crime
- Authorities do not count “Muslim crimes” but track jihadist/Islamist-motivated terrorism.
- EU 2024 (TE-SAT 2025): 58 attacks; 24 jihadist; 289 jihadist arrests out of 449; jihadism deadliest (5 deaths). Gaza war cited as a radicalization driver.
- UK: Quarterly official counterterrorism statistics available.
- US: FBI and ADL data show record-high anti-Semitic incidents in 2024 and elevated threats from inspired attackers.
7) Funding and Front Networks
- European intelligence and academic research (Vidino, GWU Program on Extremism) document Brotherhood-linked NGOs, student associations, and charities using lawful structures to advance ideological agendas. While not all investigations end in convictions, agencies consistently note the Brotherhood’s long-term societal influence strategy.
8) Policy Recommendations
- Use precise legal language targeting extremist behavior, not religion.
- Increase transparency over NGO funding with ideological links to the Brotherhood.
- Enforce anti-hate speech laws equally against anti-Semitism and sectarian incitement.
- Develop prevention and deradicalization programs alongside punitive measures.
- Strengthen US–EU judicial and intelligence coordination.
- Rigorously fact-check and publicly address unverifiable claims to avoid misinformation.
9) Current Status of Ban Efforts
- US 2025: “Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act” under consideration; no final decision yet.
- Europe: No comprehensive ban; continued intelligence monitoring and selective dissolutions.
- Middle East: Jordan’s April 2025 ban aligns with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and UAE policy.
Final Observations
- The Brotherhood is not a monolith; it ranges from pragmatic electoral actors to hardline mobilizers.
- SinceOctober 7, its symbols and narratives have been leveraged in propaganda appealing to both Islamist and far-left audiences, feeding into the documented spike in anti-Semitism.
References
- (2025). TE-SAT 2025: EU Terrorism Situation and Trend Report.
- Council on Foreign Relations. Muslim Brotherhood background.
- S. Department of State, Foreign Terrorist Organization list (Hamas).
- UK MI5 Threat Assessment (Oct 2024).
- UK Home Office. Counterterrorism statistics, March 2025.
- Director Wray statements on elevated threats, 2023–2024.
- Anti-Defamation League. (2025). Audit of Antisemitic Incidents 2024.
- French Ministry of Interior. Annual hate crime report 2024.
- German Federal Criminal Police Office (BKA). Hate crime statistics 2023–2024.
- UK Jenkins Review (2015). Muslim Brotherhood in the UK.
- Jordanian government announcement, April 2025.
- Institute for Strategic Dialogue (ISD). Reports on Gaza-related online extremism, 2023–2024.
- Vidino, L. GWU Program on Extremism. Reports on Brotherhood networks in Europe.
- Austrian Ministry of Interior. “Operation Luxor” proceedings.
- German Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV). Annual reports on Islamist extremism.