Following the sanctioning of foreign Muslim Brotherhood groups by the Trump administration, the European Parliament recently took its own action against the transnational radical Islamist group.
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Parliament → follow → group
As Europe begins to respond to the threat of radical Islam across the continent, an overwhelming majority of the European Parliament voted for a resolution that condemned the Muslim Brotherhood and its actions.
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that → begin → Brotherhood
European Parliament member Céline Imart of France, who sponsored the resolution, called the vote "a historic victory because it is a European first.
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it → sponsor → vote
For the first time, Europe has voted on a text that tackles Islamist entryism and the Muslim Brotherhood."
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that → vote → entryism
Imart posted on X that she had "broken a taboo that Europe has been dragging around like a chain: this victory signifies a major doctrinal shift in the institutions…
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victory → post → institutions
We were able to transcend partisan divides on a major issue for our societies and our youth."
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We → transcend → societies
Lorenzo Vidino, director of the program on extremism at George Washington University, told Fox News Digital that, "This is something that the French and the Austrian governments have been pushing for almost a decade," noting a growing consensus across Europe that wants action.
The resolution was led by the European People’s Party, or EPP, a center-right coalition that is the largest group in the European Parliament.
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that → tell → Parliament
"The voting does reflect a gap between the right and the left," said Vidino, "with the right voting almost entirely in favor of the resolution, and a good part of the left, although with some notable exceptions, voting against it."
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right → reflect → it
As part of her post on X, Imart made it a point to thank "the negotiators from the other groups with whom I had the pleasure of working - excluding the socialists and the far left, who boycotted the text."
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who → make → text
Vidino said, "The Brotherhood remains something that is seen through the political lenses of our own political debates, where it shouldn't be... because it's a challenge to our societies."
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it → say → societies
A press release on the resolution issued by the European Parliament's news website stated that Islamist entryism targets "democratic institutions, the rule of law, equality between women and men and fundamental freedoms."
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entryism → issue → women
It stressed that Muslim citizens must be protected from discrimination as "a democratic obligation," while "warning against treating organized Islamist networks as representative interlocutors."
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citizens → stress → interlocutors
The release also stated, "While Europe must remain free, open and faithful to its principles, it can ‘no longer fund, consult or legitimize networks that use its language, procedures and funding to weaken its values from within,’" but "MEPs stress that anti-discrimination policies must not be used to shield Islam from criticism or legitimize organized Islamist networks."
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policies → state → networks
The resolution was slammed by ENAR, a pan-European anti-racism network, which released a statement following its passage.
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which → slam → passage
"ENAR condemns in the strongest possible terms the racist and Islamophobic resolution "on the need for an EU strategy to counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood network" proposed by the European People’s Party (EPP) and passed by the European Parliament today, including its targeting of ENAR and its members like FEMYSO through sham allegations and falsehoods seeking to associate our network with the Muslim Brotherhood.
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ENAR → condemn → Brotherhood
ENAR categorically rejects these claims."
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ENAR → reject → claims
It added in part, "This resolution is a stain on the European Parliament and marks a profoundly shameful day in Europe’s history.
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resolution → add → history
A Parliament that should defend democracy, equality and fundamental rights has instead given institutional legitimacy to a racist politics of suspicion that casts Muslim communities, Muslim-led civil society, organizations combating Islamophobia, and those who defend their rights as inherently suspect."
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who → defend → rights
Edmund Fitton-Brown, a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), told Fox News Digital
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Brown → tell → Democracies
"This resolution is where the pushback begins against Islamist entryism in Europe.
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pushback → begin → Europe
It is admirably clearly worded.
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It → word → ?
The task of converting it into binding legislation begins now and will be difficult."
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task → convert → legislation
The former UK ambassador to Yemen, Fitton-Brown added, "Europe regularly imagines that "legal", "non-violent" Islamism is in conflict with, and a potential antidote to, violent Islamist terrorism.
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Islamism → add → conflict
It is not, it is a gateway to it, it creates the climate for it, and the two are pursuing the same goals, only via different tactics."
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two → create → tactics
He added, "Europe fails to prioritize subversion as a threat, whereas during the Cold War it understood that threat and took serious measures to counter it.
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it → add → it
Europe also seeks to appease Islamist entryism by adopting hostile policies towards Israel, and sometimes by passing blasphemy-adjacent and anti-"Islamophobia" laws, thinking they are protecting the Muslim community.
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they → seek → community
In fact, the main victims of these laws are liberal Muslims trying to escape the confines of their community and enjoy Western freedoms."
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victims → try → freedoms
Asked about the differences between Europe and the U.S. approach to the Brotherhood, Vidino said the European way is "a bit more nuanced" than that of the U.S., where the Trump administration has designated the Muslim Brotherhood and 4 of its branches as terrorist organizations.
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administration → ask → organizations
He says Europe sees the Muslim Brotherhood "mostly through the lenses of entryism, of subversion, of a group that destroys the fabrics of society… a matter of a threat to democracy, but a lot of the activities of the Brotherhood might be legal if taken individually.
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lot → say → Brotherhood
While noting that numerous security services across Europe have been warning about the Muslim Brotherhood for some time, Vidino says the resolution "sets the tone.
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resolution → note → tone
It gives a political push," suggesting agencies and governments "might feel more legitimized in seeing the Brotherhood in negative ways.
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agencies → give → ways
"
"I'm a bit skeptical on whether this resolution would have a major tangible impact," Vidino added.
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Vidino → add → impact
"Islamist groups are very good at camouflaging their activities."
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groups → camouflage → activities
While there is "no organization that calls itself Muslim Brotherhood in Europe," he said if and when funding is pulled from an Islamist organization by the EU, "They will make a fuss…
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They → be → fuss
They fight back.
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They → fight → ?
They have an ability to also leverage what could be a crisis, but turn it to their advantage by playing the victim card and the Islamophobia card."
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what → have → card
As part of the resolution, the European Council was asked to assess whether entities or individuals linked to the Muslim Brotherhood should be added to the EU list of terrorist organizations.
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entities → ask → organizations
It called for full traceability of EU funding and a European Commission overview of EU funds awarded to people or entities suspected of links to the Muslim Brotherhood or political Islam.
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It → call → Brotherhood
It also welcomed initiatives by member states to draw up national lists of hate preachers and calls for the establishment of such a list at EU level, while also calling for stronger scrutiny of foreign funding and transnational partnerships, particularly involving actors linked to Qatar or Turkey and greater use of Schengen tools and EU databases.
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It → welcome → tools
"This vote is a victory, but it is also a starting point," Imart said.
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Imart → say → ?
…and 1 more, not listed.
The Aporia
