Muslim Brotherhood: European policymakers urged to build a common strategy against transnational networks

European lawmakers, diplomats and researchers meeting at the French Senate have called for a more coordinated response to networks associated with the Muslim Brotherhood. Foreign funding, digital influence and cooperation between European and Arab countries emerged as central issues in the debate.

After London, the discussion moved to Paris. The sixth annual TRENDS Forum on Political Islam concluded at the Luxembourg Palace, home of the French Senate, following an initial session held at the House of Lords in the British capital. Under the theme “A Unified European Response to Counter the Threat of the Muslim Brotherhood”, politicians, diplomats, academics and specialists examined how Europe could move from analysing political Islam to developing common legal, security and institutional responses.

TRENDS Group, formerly known as TRENDS Research & Advisory, is a privately owned research organisation founded in Abu Dhabi in 2014. Its work covers geopolitical, economic, social and intellectual issues, with particular attention to extremism, political Islam and ideological movements. Rebranded as TRENDS Group in 2026, the organisation also promotes dialogue between researchers, policymakers and institutional figures in Europe and the Arab world.

European funding under scrutiny

One of the most politically sensitive issues raised in Paris concerned European funding. French Senator Nathalie Goulet argued that some programmes financed in the name of diversity or academic research could be used to advance ideological agendas. She called for greater scrutiny of European grants and stronger parliamentary oversight of how public money is allocated.

Goulet referred to several research programmes dealing with subjects including Sufism, Islamic law and the history and culture of Muslim societies. Her intervention reflected a broader concern among participants: the need for European institutions to better identify the origin, destination and purpose of funding reaching associations, cultural organisations and other structures operating across national borders.

Distinguishing Islam from political Islam

Speakers repeatedly stressed that action against Islamist political networks should not be confused with hostility towards European Muslims. André Reichardt, former deputy chairman of the French Senate’s European Affairs Committee, underlined the importance of distinguishing law-abiding Muslim citizens from the political instrumentalisation of religion.

He also advocated closer cooperation between France, Italy and the United Arab Emirates. Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Director of the Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of using religion in pursuit of a political project and urged European capitals to coordinate their policies more closely.

Researchers nevertheless warned against overly simplistic assessments of the movement’s actual reach. Yamine Sétoul, an academic at France’s Conservatoire National des Arts et Métiers, highlighted the difficulty of accurately measuring Muslim Brotherhood influence in France and called for shared methodologies, better data exchanges and long-term comparative research across Europe.

The digital battlefield

A significant part of the forum focused on the transformation of Islamist activism in the digital age. Social media, algorithms, artificial intelligence and even video games were discussed as potential tools for spreading ideological narratives, polarisation and recruitment.

Wael Saleh, Director of the TRENDS office in France and Canada, described contemporary Islamism as capable of combining references to the past with sophisticated use of modern technology. Former British diplomat Sir John Jenkins also argued that Europe should consolidate its knowledge base before attempting to build more effective security coordination.

The proposals presented in Paris included stronger monitoring of foreign funding, greater transparency surrounding financial flows, improved information-sharing between European countries and the development of early-warning mechanisms for online radicalisation and recruitment.

Education was also presented as a central part of the response, with participants advocating greater emphasis on critical thinking, digital literacy and citizenship in schools.

The central message from Paris was therefore European rather than purely national: movements and networks that operate across borders cannot be addressed effectively through fragmented national policies alone. For the forum’s participants, the next stage will be turning years of research and debate into a more coherent European strategy on financing, digital influence, prevention and international cooperation.