The Muslim Brotherhood’s networks in Europe, their funding, influence in education and use of digital tools were examined at the House of Lords in London during the sixth TRENDS Annual Forum on Political Islam. British parliamentarians, former ministers, researchers and security experts discussed whether existing legal tools are sufficient.
The forum, organised by TRENDS Global and TRENDS Research & Advisory, continues on September 10 at the French Senate in Paris, focusing on legislative responses and cooperation between European and partner countries.
Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al Ali, Chairman of Trends Group, said political Islamist movements operate across borders and can exploit democratic openness to build influence in education, media, business and the digital sphere. He stressed the distinction between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology.
Dr Khalifa Mubarak Al Dhaheri, Director of Mohammed Bin Zayed University for Humanities, described Britain as a longstanding centre for individuals and networks associated with the Muslim Brotherhood and political Islam. He said the organization should not be treated as representative of Muslims and warned that ideological loyalties placed above citizenship can create “societies within societies.”
Education was a central theme. Participants examined the Brotherhood’s ideological structures and influence on younger generations. They also discussed the Gaza Children’s Village, established in July 2025 by Palestinian-American neurosurgeon Dr David Hassan with IMPACT-se, as an alternative educational model to counter incitement and extremism. IMPACT-se CEO Markus Sheff advocated critical thinking and digital literacy in schools, while Major Jason Olson said prevention should begin there.
The debate then moved to legislation and funding. Lord Walney warned of a “blind spot” allowing some networks and think tanks to penetrate charities and the education sector and called for stronger intelligence sharing. Baroness Foster of Oxton urged tighter scrutiny of charities, their funding and tax benefits. Former MP Daniel Kawczynski called on the Home Office to respond to parliamentary demands to ban the Muslim Brotherhood and designate it as a terrorist organization. Lady Olga Maitland warned that “soft extremism” requires updated legislation.
Sir Oliver Dowden, former Deputy Prime Minister and Chair of the UK-UAE Parliamentary Friendship Group, addressed the Brotherhood and its links to extremism. Tom Wilson of the Counter Extremism Group and Dr Alan Mendoza of the Henry Jackson Society announced the “Ban the Brotherhood” campaign and proposed using parliamentary privilege to bring evidence about front organizations into the public domain.
Alessandro Bertoldi, Executive Director of Italy’s Milton Friedman Institute, questioned whether a ban alone would be sufficient without confronting the Brotherhood’s operational tools. He also raised the need to monitor the use of artificial intelligence to spread its messaging.
Badriya Al Riyami presented figures from the 2025 Global Brotherhood Power Index. Europe ranked fourth at 17.0%, behind the Americas at 24.8%, Asia at 22.5% and Africa at 20.2%. TRENDS researcher Hamad Al Hosani said responses should protect national security without collectively stigmatizing Muslim communities.
Phil Rosenberg, President of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, called for an international alliance against extremist ideology, noting that Muslims themselves are among its largest victims. Imam Mohammed Tawhidi stressed that the vast majority of Western Muslims reject this approach.
The audience included Richard Tice, Sir Robert John Blackman, Baroness Deech, Nadhim Zahawi, Lord Howard of Lympne, Lord Austin of Dudley, Lord Eric Pickles and Sir Michael Ellis. Journalists attending included Marcus Donaldson of GB News, Camilla Turner of the Sunday Telegraph and Natalie Lisbona of the Daily Mail.
The forum now moves to the French Senate, where its second part will examine legislative responses, research cooperation and measures to counter Brotherhood-linked networks while protecting religious freedom and equal citizenship.
