The Workers Rights 
In Europe, the Muslim Brotherhood is being closely watched not only for violent actions or extremist tendencies, but also for other factors. Funding, associations, religious institutions, schools and alleged networks of political or social influence have been the subject of concern by authorities, legislators and political figures in countries such as France, Germany and Ireland.
The developments are not a single European policy. The EU has not declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group. Rather, individual governments and political institutions are taking varying measures from monitoring and public warnings to proposed laws and parliamentary resolutions.
The debate has also sparked controversy, with organisations claiming to have no links to the Brotherhood ruling out claims of such connections. The separation of established facts, political claims and proposed actions has therefore become an important element of the discussion.
France Moves Toward Legislative Action
France is making by far the most important political and legislative strides in Europe. The French National Assembly on January 22, 2026, passed a non-binding motion that the European Commission initiate a process to add the Muslim Brotherhood and its leadership to the EU’s terrorist blacklist. The resolution was approved by 157 votes, with 101 voting no.
The measure was not an EU designation, but a political decision. It has thus not itself listed the Muslim Brotherhood on the list of European Union (EU) terrorists.
In separate news, a bill to fight “Islamist entryism” was approved by the French Senate on May 5. The Senate states that the bill “covers concerns related to efforts to affect education, sports organisations and associations.
Proposed powers are those relating to places of worship, associations and assets. The bill, however, had not yet been passed yet and was being forwarded to the National Assembly where it was to be considered.
In part, the debate is based on a Government report on the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam in France. Public Sénat cited the report, which designated 139 Muslim prayer venues as connected to the Brotherhood and 68 others as somehow being in its proximity. It also found that 21 schools with a total student roll of approximately 4,200 pupils are located.
These statistics are from the report and do not necessarily reflect the number of people in those institutions who are members or supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Germany Focuses on Strategic Influence
The focus in Germany has been on the concept of “strategic Islamism”, as it is termed by some constitutional protection authorities and politicians, which is supposed to aim at achieving long-term political and social influence without resorting above all to violence.
In June, Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann expressed concern over the Muslim Brotherhood’s “strategies for influence” via social life and political structures. His ministry described the supposed strategy as an effort to gain more publicity and ultimately government subsidies.
These are government and political evaluations and not an indication of any involvement by every organisation and/or person accused of being a member of the Brotherhood in the movement.
Germany’s approach, therefore, provides yet another focus for Europe’s debate: on whether security concerns should concentrate only on an organisation that is engaged in violence or also cover alleged efforts to influence political and social action through other lawful institutions.
Ireland Examines Alleged Political Islam Networks
Ireland has also joined in the debate. Reports said Garda Deputy Commissioner Michael McElgunn had voiced his concerns on networks associated with a “hidden” political Islam during a conference in September.
The comments occurred amid a wider security context of Islamist-related attacks, Northern Ireland-related terrorism and far-right activity.
It also overlaps with the construction of the Clonskeagh Mosque in Dublin. The Al Maktoum Foundation, which is believed to have created and sponsored the mosque, had requested changes in the management and religious school. Long-held worries over the alleged connection to the Muslim Brotherhood played a part in the restructuring, said The Irish Examiner.
These assertions should be properly referenced. The report provided does not mean to imply that the members of the mosque or Muslims as a whole are members of the Brotherhood.
The Irish case is therefore typical of the problems facing the rest of Europe: they are trying to determine the alleged links between organisations or ideology without attributing the actions or beliefs of an organisation to an entire religious organisation.
Brussels Becomes a Political Forum
The European Parliament is also increasingly a battleground for conflicting claims of the Brotherhood’s influence.
Finnish MEP Sebastian Tynkkynen has publicly stated what he believes is a Brotherhood strategy with regard to funding and building of mosques. Other European parliamentarians have organised conferences focused on the alleged threat posed by the movement.
Meanwhile, groups that have been accused of ties to the Brotherhood have denied the charges. It is, for instance, denied by the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO) to have a political party, group or ideological association.
This is especially pertinent because the legal findings in political conferences and parliamentary statements are not automatically considered legal findings. Confirmed government decisions and court findings are not included in allegations of organisational relationships.
A Debate Extending Beyond Violence
The European debate is thus unfolding in multiple directions. France considers a non-binding resolution on an EU terrorist designation, as well as plans legislative action. Germany is sounding caution over purported influence on politics in the long term. Ireland is scrutinising complaints from senior security figures, and Brussels is a focus point for political discussion regarding funding, mosques and organisations.
The U.S. has also adopted a different strategy. According to sources, the U.S. government designated the Lebanese arm of the Muslim Brotherhood an FTO and imposed other sanctions on the group in Egypt and Jordan in January of 2026. The American terminology may not be automatically used in Europe.
The European question now is how to find out if there are networks of influence and how to maintain the distinction between certain organisations and the wider Muslim community in Europe.
That distinction will matter as governments consider restrictions involving associations, religious institutions, funding, education and political activity. Any future measures will depend not only on political support but also on evidence, legal standards and the ability of authorities to demonstrate specific organisational links.
For now, Europe’s approach remains fragmented rather than unified. What has changed is the scope of the discussion: scrutiny is increasingly focused not only on violence, but also on how alleged networks may operate through institutions, funding structures and civil society.
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