The need for an EU strategy to counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood network

The European Parliament adopted by 381 votes to 167, with 15 abstentions, a resolution on the need for an EU strategy to counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood network.

The text adopted in plenary was tabled by the EPP group.

The resolution highlighted that Islam, as a religion, is not inherently political or hostile, and the overwhelming majority of those who observe Islam as a religion reject violence against civilians in the name of Islam. Political Islamism must not be presented as synonymous with, or representative of, Islam as such, but, rather, understood as a distinct political phenomenon characterised by the political instrumentalisation of a particular interpretation of Islam. Parliament stressed that criticism of a political ideology must not be equated with an attack on a religion.

The strategy of Islamist entryism relies, in particular, on the organised confusion between Islam as a religion, which falls under freedom of conscience, and political Islam as a societal project, which seeks to produce collective norms,

derogatory regimes or community allegiances placed above common law. Such a project may contribute to the development of parallel communities and to practices incompatible with democratic principles and EU values, thereby undermining social cohesion and individuals’ ability to participate fully in public life.

Parliament condemns religious and, in particular, Islamist entryism strategies as an unacceptable form of covert and malicious interference aimed at weakening democratic institutions, the rule of law and the neutrality of public institutions. It identified the Muslim Brotherhood as an example of transnational Islamist networks operating through associations, foundations and cultural, educational, religious, charitable and social organisations, rather than solely through formal membership.

The resolution also deplored the rise of antisemitism in Europe and condemned attempts to exploit the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to promote antisemitic narratives and deepen social polarisation. It expressed concern about alleged strategies of influence, institutional legitimisation and organisational reconstitution by networks linked to or inspired by the Muslim Brotherhood in several Member States.

Against this background, Parliament called for a European methodology to identify signs of Islamist entryism, including confusion between religion and politics, institutional doublespeak, financial opacity, recurring partnerships, links to identified networks, activist reporting, the reconstitution of structures and the alleged misuse of anti-discrimination frameworks. It also considered the concealment of the face in public spaces and premises open to the public to pose challenges to public security, identification and law enforcement. It supported national measures prohibiting full-face coverings, including the niqab and burqa, in such spaces and premises open to the public as a necessary step to ensure social cohesion, public safety and the protection of the rights and freedoms of others, in particular women.

Members deplored the invitation of the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) to the European Parliament on 21 September 2026 by Members from The Left and the Greens. They called for organisations linked to the Council of European Muslims, including FEMYSO, to be denied access to EU institutions, removed from the EU Transparency Register and excluded from institutional events and meetings where their participation could legitimise alleged entryism strategies linked to the Muslim Brotherhood. Parliament also called on the Council to include entities and individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood on the EU list of terrorist organisations where the criteria under Common Position 2001/931/CFSP are met, and to apply the corresponding restrictive measures. Parliament called for the establishment of national lists of hate preachers at EU level.

The Commission is called on to:

- ensure that the active promotion of Islamist ideologies which advocate the subjugation of women, anti-Semitism or hatred towards Christians has appropriate legal and administrative consequences, including with regard to access to public funding, social benefits and institutional support;

- ensure that no EU funds can reach or benefit, directly or indirectly, entities, partners, contractors, subcontractors, beneficial owners or final beneficiaries or recipients linked to networks included on the EU list of terrorist organisations;

- provide a comprehensive overview of all cases of EU funds awarded to persons and entities suspected of links to the Muslim Brotherhood or political Islam;

- ensure transparency of funding, partnerships, beneficiaries and the application of exclusion criteria, together with full traceability throughout funding chains;

- make full use of the Financial Regulation, notably the Early Detection and Exclusion System (EDES), where persons and entities promote Islamist entryism, radicalisation, antisemitism, terrorism, incitement to discrimination, hatred or violence or other activities incompatible with the values of the EU;

- strengthen control over foreign funding, influence operations, associative mobility and transnational partnerships likely to contribute to the institutional legitimisation of Islamist networks in Europe, particularly where they involve actors linked to Qatar or Türkiye.