The European Parliament has voted in favor of a historic resolution opposing Islamist infiltration, naming the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliate, the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisation (FEMYSO).
On October 8, 2026, lawmakers voted 381-167, with 15 abstentions, to identify Islamist entryism and networks, calling for tighter checks on EU money so funding does not go to groups tied to political Islam. It also asks EU governments to look at whether Muslim Brotherhood-linked groups should be put on the EU terrorist list, a European Parliament press release said.
Let’s stop calling naivety ‘dialogue.’
Titled “on the need for an EU strategy to counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood network,” the resolution warns that separatism, victimhood, antisemitism, hatred of Israel, conspiracy narratives, challenges to secularism, and the use of religion to contest gender equality may constitute markers of Islamist influence.
The resolution warns that Islamism operates through an ecosystem of associations, foundations and cultural, educational, religious, charitable, university, youth, anti-discrimination or social justice structures, with the Muslim Brotherhood constituting “the archetype of these transnational Islamist networks.”
It explains how Islamist networks often adopt the vocabulary of fundamental rights, inclusion, diversity, intercultural dialogue, anti-racism and anti-discrimination, while promoting “logics of separation, community pressure or contestation of democratic principles” as a Trojan Horse to seek institutional legitimisation under the guise of protecting Muslim minorities.
The resolution addresses “the capture of EU funds, notably through participation in projects funded by the EU,” to entities like FEMYSO, the European Network Against Racism, Al Sharq Forum, Islamic Relief Worldwide and the University of Gaziantep, despite their links to the Muslim Brotherhood or political Islam.
Right-wing MEPs Raise Red Flag on Islamist Infiltration
Céline Imart.
(European Union, European Parliament via Wikimedia)
“Islamist infiltration doesn’t always begin with the sound of gunfire. It begins with a smile, a neatly tied tie, and the distorted language of human rights. It kills when it can, but it infiltrates when it can’t,” Céline Imart, the French MEP, told parliamentarians in Strasbourg on October 7, marking the third anniversary of Hamas’ massacre of 1,200 Israeli civilians.
“Let’s stop calling naivety ‘dialogue.’ Let’s stop calling those who seek our endorsement “partners.” Let’s stop calling an association “representative” simply because it punctuates its grant applications with “diversity and inclusion,” Imart, who drafted and submitted the resolution to the European Parliament on behalf of the European People’s Party Group, urged.
“It’s done. And it’s historic,” Imart tweeted triumphantly after winning the vote. “I’ve broken a taboo that Europe has been dragging around like a chain: this victory signifies a major doctrinal shift in the institutions.”
Belgian lawmaker Sophie Wilmès called the Brotherhood “a high-level and priority threat in that it can lead to anti-democratic behavior, polarization, and violations of fundamental rights” stressing that these were the findings of the Belgian security and intelligence services.
Leftist Parties Condemn Resolution as ‘Islamophobic’
In a heated debate, leftist and Muslim parliamentarians united to condemn the resolution as “Islamophobic,” conspiratorial, and stigmatizing all Muslims.
Chloé Ridel, a French parliamentarian from the Socialist Party and the Group of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats in the European Parliament, blasted the proposition as “Islamophobic” but “this time under the guise of a resolution on Islamist infiltration in Europe.”
Ridel argued that politicians like Imart are absent when it comes to fighting “fundamentalisms” like “anti-abortion Catholic fundamentalist organizations,” “Trump’s infiltration of our political systems,” and “neo-Nazi groups or anti-Semitic influencers.”
Damien Carême, a member of the far-left and pro-Islamist La France insoumise (LFI), accused conservative lawmakers of initiating “a debate that plunges us into conspiracy theories.” He added: “The right wing, the far right, and those who claim to represent the center are telling us that a Muslim plot is being hatched behind our backs, without the slightest proof.”
French MEP Majdouline Sbaï complained that Muslims were the “new target” after Jews. “I am a Muslim, I am an elected representative of the Republic, a member of parliament, and I will stay here to listen to you and to fight you,” the sociologist and member of the Greens said.
Muslim Brotherhood Expert Laments MEPs Ignorance of Entryist Strategies
“This is only the beginning of an awareness at the level of the European Parliament. The left-right divide is particularly strong, but the resolution passed because the centre mostly voted with the right,” Florence Bergeaud-Blackler, a renowned expert on the Muslim Brotherhood, told Focus on Western Islamism (FWI).
“Let’s be clear: the resolution does not ban the Muslim Brotherhood. It calls for a strategy against Brotherhood entryism,” Bergeaud-Blackler, author of The Muslim Brotherhood and Its Networks: The Investigation, emphasized. “In other words, everything starts now. Divisions already exist between the right and the centre, and the right, the centre, and the far right do not agree on the measures to take.”
“The level of ignorance of Brotherism among MEPs also remains very high,” she cautioned. “Some want bans, others do not. Some consider that the veil is not Islamist, others that gender segregation in swimming pools is a tradition rather than an Islamist injunction,” she added.
“The debate will be about drawing the line between Islam and Islamism,” Bergeaud-Blackler explained. “The Left will politicize the issue as much as it can, hindering the adoption of measures. MEPs will need to train themselves on the subject. Above all, they must not turn it into a partisan political issue.”
European Muslim Body Compares Resolution to Nazi Nuremberg Laws
In a strongly worded statement, the Strasbourg-based European Muslim Initiative for Social Cohesion (EMISCO) compared the resolution to the Nazi regime’s Nuremberg race laws, warning of “the normalization of suspicion towards Muslims.”
The resolution’s proponents “present the distinction between political Islam and Islam as a religion as a safeguard. EMISCO believes this presentation masks an exclusionary approach that hinders the visible, equal, and free participation of Muslim communities in European life,” the statement stressed.
It argued that solidarity with Palestine, the right to wear the hijab, and fighting discrimination “are legitimate civic activities, not evidence of extremism,” noting that “even if non-binding, the resolution risks encouraging national restrictions on legal civic participation.”
“Systematically portraying Muslim initiatives as a fabricated project of political Islam without any real basis also targets Muslims who are not from an immigrant background,” EMISCO observed, praising left-wing MEPs and some civil society organizations, including the European Network Against Racism (ENAR) for condemning the resolution.
