The European Muslim Brotherhood
The Muslim Brotherhood’s ultimate objective is rooted in a program of expansion. In Europe, they defend political and social positions that must transcend national origins. The connections between the European Muslim Brotherhood and their Middle Eastern counterparts are undeniable but they are not systematic, they do not take their orders from Egypt but share similar references and goals.
From the 1980s onwards, they took on the problems of Europe’s Muslim communities, such as identity, education and Islamophobia. They then mobilized the Muslim community and formed networks, associations and general or sectoral federations at different levels to represent this community within municipalities, European states or the European Union. The European Muslim Brotherhood draws on an identity-based discourse and proposes a form of Muslim citizenship.
In France, the UOIF, Union des organisations islamiques de France (Union of Islamic Organizations of France) has gradually emerged as a major player of Islam around two central themes: the fight against Islamophobia and the Palestinian question. In the UK, the main organization linked to the Muslim Brotherhood is the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB). The objectives are similar and they rely on Islamic charities. In Germany, the Islamische Gemeinschaft Deutschland is less powerful than its French and British counterparts, the German Muslim community being predominantly Turkish.
While in Europe the Muslim Brotherhood was able to grow adeptly in the 1980s and 1990s, it has had difficulties since renewing its leadership. Above all, they have been caught off guard by the rise of Salafism, which has benefited from European youth’s strong religious needs and from young people’s attraction for this simplified version of Islam.
The Turkish Diaspora’s Supervision Through Religion
In Europe, the objective of Turkish religious organizations is to maintain the links between the diaspora (about 5 million people in Europe, almost 3 million of them in Germany) and the community of origin.
This supervision is ensured by the Foreign Affairs department of the Diyanet - an institution issuing official Islam - which maintains tight control over the imams it sends to Europe, and the Millî Görüs network - a political movement - with a dense network of mosques and associations in European countries.
Salafist Preaching in Europe
Salafism, though not predominant, is the most dynamic Islamic movement in Europe. It is primarily Quietist Salafism (focused on religious discourse and the believers’ behavior) rather than political or Jihadist. It has gradually established itself as the reference from which each Muslim must judge his religious practice.
This dissemination is not the work of one state alone, it is the result of an accumulation of spontaneous initiatives that certainly emanate from what the Saudis created, but which no longer belongs to them, since this development has largely escaped them. Today, there is no major Salafist organization capable of uniting the movement.
The Media
Saudi television channels, particularly developed in the Maghreb, have contributed to the theological and religious impregnation of French Muslim populations of North-African origin. From their family and friends, these populations have been gradually exposed to this particularly rigorist interpretation of Islam.
The example of Salafism shows the importance of the media in spreading ideology:
- Today, books have played a major role in the spread of Salafism, because their free and simple nature makes them easily accessible;
- Tapes were distributed in the Maghreb and in Western Europe to spread the Islamist message throughout the 1980s and 1990s;
- Satellite television channels were also crucial. Al Jazeera was able to offer an unprecedented political debate in the Arab world coupled with the construction of a propaganda system intended to promote the Muslim Brotherhood and their religious leader, Youssef al-Qaradâwî. Saudi religious television channels (such as Iqraa) have also contributed to the Islamization of Muslims throughout the world;
- Today, the Internet and social networks have taken over, with impressive force.