The late Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the leading intellectuals of the Muslim Brotherhood, said this in Doha, Qatar, in 2007: “Islam will conquer Europe without resorting to the sword or fighting. The conquest will be through da’wah and ideology”.
True believers in his book, “have to spread Islam to the best of their ability, multiply their numbers”.
This prophecy was a calculated evaluation of the structure of European countries. Qaradawi understood their vulnerabilities and how they can be exploited.
He advocated Da’wah, which comprises education, charity, and social aid, meant to bring others closer to Islam; Ideology, promulgated through religious and political institutions, and echoed through media platforms; and Fertility, based on the shrinking birthrate among European Christians, compared with larger Muslim families.
A Triangle of Conquest.
Qaradawi was an archetypal member of the Muslim Brotherhood: he was twice offered the global leadership but turned it down. He was shrewd enough about deniability that he repeatedly claimed not to be a member.
He also shared the Brotherhood’s Palestinian Achilles’ heel, in that his caution deserted him on that subject, and he made extreme statements that left him banned from visiting Britain or France.
The gradualist approach had served Qaradawi’s successors well until November 24, when Donald Trump issued an Executive Order entitled “Designation of certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.”
Thus began a process that may lead initially to the proscription of the Brotherhood’s affiliates in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon.
This is not an outright ban on the Brotherhood in America, but nor is it likely to remain confined to just three branches.
When the Egyptian and Emirati authorities, for example, warned Western officials over the past thirty years or more of the Brotherhood danger that was incubating in London and elsewhere, they were told there was no evidence to support their claim.
If you don’t look for evidence, you often won’t find it. The US will now be looking hard and is likely to develop information that sharpens existing concerns and leads to an expansion of what is currently envisaged under the Executive Order.
It is not just the White House that is engaged. Ted Cruz already introduced draft legislation in Congress in July, advocating more sweeping action against the Brotherhood, and that is now under active legislative consideration.
Another Texan, Governor Greg Abbott, has gone after the Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations at the state level, then written to Treasury Secretary Bessent to follow up at the federal level. The Republicans have got their teeth into this issue.
Muslim Brotherhood is more entrenched in Europe
Europe, however, is another matter.
The Brotherhood is more entrenched there, and European governments lack the authority and audacity that characterize the Trump administration and the like-minded majorities in Congress and on the Supreme Court. Europe fits Qaradawi’s prophecy closely.
The basic freedoms and rights given by European democracies are the enabler – the path – for Qaradawi’s conquest to take place. Freedom of speech appears to allow endless, vexatious, and intimidatory protests against Israel.
Freedom of religion is exploited to permit hate preaching, which, even when it is highlighted, seems too hot a potato for the police and courts to handle.
Freedom of the press allows for the propagation of conducive messaging, made much more effective by Turkish influence, Qatari money, and ubiquitous penetration by Al Jazeera of the Western media sector.
Freedom of association is exploited by charities and political action groups, whilst the right to privacy offers a firewall for activities hostile to the host nation
Then there is the freedom to vote, with more and more candidates and policymakers, either Islamists or reliant on Islamist endorsement to win elections.
The Brotherhood has no problem with elections that lead to power, but has famously been accused of favouring “one man, one vote, one time” when it comes to being removed from office. They deny this, but their fundamental argument that God’s authority overrides any human constitution or mandate conclusively points that way.
Liberal principles for protecting minorities, celebrating multiculturalism, and rejecting racism have all contributed to creating conditions that some Islamists explicitly say can lead to the conquest of Europe. Or reconquest, as Islamists have never forgotten that the Caliphate once included large swathes of southern Europe.
But why not start at home? Qaradawi was imprisoned four times before having to leave Egypt. The Muslim Brotherhood is proscribed as a terrorist organization in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and, most recently, in Jordan in April.
Its members were either arrested or deported. This is easier to enforce in autocratic regimes, lacking the rights and privileges enjoyed in democracies, but our failure to listen to friendly Arab warnings could cost us.
Austria is the only European country to ban the Brotherhood, and this has not led to any catastrophic breach in community relations. It is Muslims who suffer most from Islamist bullying, which usurps their voices and stifles their freedoms.
Britain has recently proscribed Palestine Action, and Germany has moved against Muslim Interaktiv.
It is hoped that Trump’s new policy galvanizes the debate across the Atlantic, and a cascade of European states will now take legal steps against this menace.
The Muslim Brotherhood has enjoyed the tightrope walk between being a political actor and posing a clear security threat. Developments in the US suggest that it is no longer sustainable.
Germany is likely to act soon, as it has proved through policy and law enforcement that radical Islamism will not be tolerated, especially since October 7, 2023. Britain and France have not made up their minds, but stand at a political crossroads.
They and all other Western nations must get serious about addressing this threat before it is too late.
Edmund Fitton-Brown is a veteran British diplomat who served at numerous postings in the Middle East, culminating as the UK’s ambassador to Yemen from 2015 to 2017 and later coordinated UN expert panels on counterterrorism. He is now a senior fellow at the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies.
Eran M. Teboul is the CEO and co-founder of Hetz for Israel. Eran is an expert on national security and on forming global partnerships. His work with governments and security agencies resulted in policy and counterterrorism outcomes across Europe, the Middle East, and North America.