Excerpt:
The political and religious organisation of the Muslim brotherhood is becoming increasingly powerful in Europe. It also has a double agenda. That is the view of Harvard researcher Lorenzo Vidino in his book the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and North America that is about to be published. He thinks that European policy-makers are being taken for a ride by the Brothers.
In the Netherlands, the Moroccan-Dutch politician Yahya Bouyafa was recently the subject of a scandal. He was accused of secretly being a member of the controversial Muslim Brotherhood. Mr Bouyafa, however, denied this.
The Muslim Brotherhood, established in 1928 in Egypt with the aim of establishing an Islamic state, was one of the first modern Islamic political movements. In the 1950s and 1960s, many followers of the movement came to Europe to study. The student organisations they established are at the centre of an influential network of well-educated Muslims who often hold key-positions in Islamic organisations in Europe. The Muslim Brothers are not used to being open about their allegiance to the once clandestine movement. Their tendency to work under the auspices of existing organisations makes it difficult to assess their real significance. Mr Vidino is convinced, however, that the movement is very influential in Europe.