Europeans’ double-standard policies towards the Muslim Brotherhood

Aya Abdel-Aziz

Europeans’ relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood has been veiled with mystery and complexities. Although European governments in general and the British authorities in particular, are suspecting the MB’s activities in the Continent, they decided to maintain their joint cooperation with the extremist group to resist the spread of more radical ideologies in Western communities.

The history of the relationship between the European governments and the MB is marked with paradoxical periods, in which the two sides would clash and cooperate.  Reports indicating that the Axis troops had come closer to the Egyptian borders,  prompted London to discuss joint strategy with the MB to help weaken political parties, which were against the British occupation of Egypt. The British government also sought to neutralize the MB, which reciprocated by refusing to take part in mass demonstrations in Egypt in 1942 to lend support to German commander Erwin Rommel, who was popular as the Desert Fox.

Since that time, the MB has introduced itself as a well-organised group, which could silence the voices of nationalist and liberal movements in the country. The British government also realized that the MB was qualified to resist the rising tide of communists.

“The first contact between the British government and the MB took place in 1941 when British officials had a meeting with its founder Hassan el-Bana after his release from the prison. El-Bana agreed to keep silent over the British occupation in Egypt”.

Types of the Muslim Brotherhood in European communities

In the second half of the 20^th century, the number of the MB’s members and loyalists in Europe started to increase. Pathfinders were those children, whose MB-linked families sent them to continue their study in Europe. In addition, Europe was the destination sought by migrants from Middle East countries, who escaped arrests by their local authorities.

The MB’s community in Europe was divided to three categories as follows:

First- Members, who swore an oath of loyalty to Cairo-based parent group.  These members were tasked with broadcasting the group’s ideology across Europe.

Second- the MB’s lobbyists, who formed separate organisations and movements; and keenly maintained strong ties with the mother organisation.

Third- independent groups, whose charters were inspired by the MB’s ideology.

In 1973, the MB launched the London Conference, a carefully-planned step to help it have strong footholds across Europe. Also during the London Conference, the MB initiated  the unified Islamic movement.

After four years, the 2^nd edition of London Conference took place to help resuscitate  the group, which collapsed in Egypt at the hands of the regime of late President Gamal Abdel-Nasser. Due to its importance, the 2^nd session was attended by the MB’s iconic figures, such as Youssef el-Qaradaqi, the group’s chief ideologist and theorist; and Ghaleb Himmat, head of the Muslim community in southern Germany.

Basics of the MB’s relationship in Europe

In an acknowledgement of its tolerant ideology, which does not repudiate European liberalism and democracy; the doors of European governments were opened for the MB to come in and have joint cooperation. Also thanks to its pragmatism, the MB was given bigger space of political maneuverability to preserve its interests in European countries. Such political incentives and encouragements persuaded the organisation to tolerate the foreign intervention in the Arab affairs during the Gulf war in 1990; and the US occupation of Iraq in 2003.

According to its double-standard policy in this respect, the MB welcomed the Western intervention in the region to protect Arab nations against alleged atrocities and acts of oppressions by their regimes.  For example, the organisation lent its support to NATO military intervention in Libya. The MB also backed armed militias mobilised in Syria to oust the regime of Syrian President Bashar Assad.  In return, Western countries viewed the MB as a major ally. The organisation was also given credit for allegedly embracing a type of Islam, which is appealing to Western culture and values.

The MB and Islamisation of Europe

The MB managed to have heavy presence in Europe in early 1990s by the establishment of several Islamic unions and organisations in different European countries. In addition, the group opened training institutes for Muslim preachers to hone their skills before they would be assigned to lead mass prayers in mosques. Also assessing its steps in Europe very carefully, the MB established economic and financial institutions to receive donations from Islamic countries to build more mosques and Islamic centres across Europe. The campaign was known as the Economic Jihad.

In the wake of the 9/11 incident in the US, the MB introduced itself as the West’s major ally in the face of extremist and radical groups. The organisation was reassured that its help in this respect would be rewarded when the European governments lined to support it in its regional campaigns to oust regimes in the Arab world.  Appreciating the organisation’s allegedly peaceful and tolerant ideology, the European governments decided to legitimise its presence in Europe. The MB was also allowed to control and manage mosques and Islamic institutions; and supervise curricula being taught there.  Moreover, the organisation was entrusted with training its young people and qualifying them for Daawa (call for Islam) in local languages. The group also mobilised its young people to receive migrants from Muslim countries and help qualify them for their new life in European countries.

It is noteworthy that one of the MB’s chief goals strategies overseas was the establishment of parallel communities. The strategy was discovered during a raid by the FBI agents on the house of Palestinian-bon American citizen Ismail al-Barasi in Virginia in  2004. The action plan was prepared by Mohamed Ikram, secretary of the MB’s Shoura Council in 1991. Sl-Barasi was indicted in 2008 for attempting to cause changes in the US society and compromise the Western identity and values.

The MB did likewise in Europe. It was revealed that its International Organisation attempted to introduce Islam as an alternative to the Western culture, especially after it built strong bridges with different Islamic groups and movements in Europe.  Gordian Meyer-Plath, President of the Saxon State Office in Eastern Germany, said that the MB had used cultural organisations and institutions to broadcast its vision of Islam. He also referred to signs indicating that the MB was denouncing European values, such as the freedom of faith and gender equality.

In Britain, three of MB’s powerful members, Ibrahim Munir, Essam el-Hadad and Ibrahim al-Zayat; helped the organisation maintain control on 13 Islamic organisations and societies. The task was fulfilled by the establishment of the Muslim Youth Forum, which also supervises about 42 organisations representing 26 countries. The MYF also had strong contacts with European Parliament.

Austria is one of European countries, which offered safe refuge to the MB’s fugitive members. Moreover, several members belonging to the MB managed to have official positions in the Austrian government.  After the rise of Islamists to power in the Arab world, the Austrian authorities aided these people to return to their mother countries and assume powerful government positions. For example, Ayman Ali, key member of the MB, who worked for several years as the preacher of a mosque in Graz, returned to Cairo to assume the office of the senior adviser of ex-President Mohamed Morsi after Islamists seized power in Egypt in 2012.

In Belgium, the MB was given the opportunity to expand its activities and contact more than 300, 000 Muslims from North African countries living there. The organisation’s success in Belgium is attributed to Syrian-born Mohamed el-Hawari. Receiving financial support from Gulf countries, el-Hawari established the nucleus of the group in the Free University of Brussels. He was also responsible for activities of the Islamic Centre in Brussels and the mosques there.

In the early 1980s, el-Hawari, backed with students and political refugees, persuaded the Belgian government to appoint him the official spokesperson of the Muslim community in Brussels. However, the Belgian security authorities decided to monitor his activities and contacts. Two reports released in 2001 and 2007, warned that el-Hawari’s lobbyists were responsible for inciting riots and controversial issues, such as religious teaching in Belgian schools and the right of Muslim schoolgirls to wear the hijab.

The MB also former alliances with leaders of the Christian democrats and secularists in Europe. For example, candidates of the Socialist Party were invited to explain their electoral programmes in mosques. A Belgian-Turkish politician Mahinur Ozdemir, who was the first female member of Belgian parliament with Hijab, was representing the Christian Democratic Party in this European country.  Regardless of these successes, the MB’s duality of self-victimisation and violence stirred up an anti-Islam atmosphere in Western societies^.

Qatar’s support to the MB in Europe

Qatar seeking to launch powerful lobbyists in Europe, channeled huge money to the MB, which helped Doha establish the European Council for Researches and Iftaa in Dublin, Ireland. Also thanks to Doha’s money, the MB has brought more than 60% of mosques in Rome under its control.

In addition, Qatar is the chief financial supporter of the Islamic Association of Dialogue and Co-existence in Spain, which is linked to Rashed Ghanoushi’s Nahda movement in Tunisia. The IADC has strong contacts with the Islamic Relief Organisation, which was established in London by the MB’s key member Essam al-Hadad.

In collaboration with Doha, the organisation also donated 11 million sterling for the renovations of St Anthony’s College of University of Oxford; and for the maintenance of several cultural research centres in London. Also through the MB, Doha financed the construction of the first Islamic centre in Luxemburg in 2015. Doha and the MB also collaborated to open several mosques in Denmark and Ireland.

Doha also launched the 100m euro fund, ANELD, for the rehabilitation of marginalized Muslims in European countries. In 2014, Qatar Charity Fund donated more than 1,1 million euro to the Muslim Association in Belgium.  The MB using Doha’s money also established Al-Nour Islamic Complex on the French-German-Swiss borders in 2016. Qatar’s financial support chiefly benefited Moroccan communities in France, Spain, Italy, Belgium and Luxemburg.

European controversial response

Celebrating their rise to power in the wake of the Arab Spring, Islamists  rushed hysterically to achieve their long-sought goals in the region. Led by the MB, they collaborated with foreign powers to carry out  the alleged Deal of the Century, which recommends annexing part of Sinai and Gaza for the Palestinians. However, the  annexation project was undermined after the removal of the MB from power, which was also branded as a terrorist organisation in several Arab countries (Egypt branded the MB as terrorist organisation in 2013).

As a result, heated debates broke out in European countries. The European governments were in dilemma, not knowing how to deal with the terrorist organisation, regardless of their high-level cooperation.  However, following a series of terrorist attacks in London, the British government ordered investigation into the organisation’s activities in the country. The move follows orders by Egypt and Saudi Arabia to outlaw the group, and allegations that its members plotted terrorist attacks from offices in Britain.

But Alistair Burth, British Minister of State for the Middle East, denied that they had obtained substantial evidences, which could indict the MB and brand it as a terrorist group. Key developments were made after close investigation into its activities and financial resources. The British authorities decided to designate the MB terrorist organisation.

Austrian authorities, cautiously dealing with the MB, preferred to have a dialogue, otherwise their crackdown on it would ignite the flames of terrorism and extremism in the country.  According to EU’s ex-ambassador to Egypt, European  governments did not have reasons to put the MB on the list of terrorist organisations. Moran also said that there was no reason to close the MB-linked offices in European countries.

The MB survived in France when the French presidency in 2016 concluded a report, which paid tribute to the organisation for its role in supporting an anti-terror national strategy.  Nonetheless, the French government reversed its enthusiasm in this regard in 2017 when it decided to deal very cautiously with the MB’s members in the country.

According to the new policy, the French authorities decided to dismiss Hani Ramadan, the grandson of the MB’s founder Hassan el-Bana. The French legal authorities explained that Ramadan, who is a Swiss nationa, used to give statements, which could shake the French national security.

In the meantime, Johannes Hahn, European Commissioner, indicated that the EU’s decision against the MB was a very complicated process. He explained that the organisation would not be branded as a terrorist organisation in Europe without unanimous approval by EU’s 26 members.