Have the Muslim Brotherhood turned into an organized crime network competing over money and influence?
Indicators pointing to the fragmentation of the Muslim Brotherhood’s structure abroad continue to grow, as internal conflicts and mutual accusations of corruption escalate among the organization’s branches spread across several countries, particularly in Turkey, which in recent years has become a major hub for the activities of the group’s fugitive leaders.
These conflicts are no longer merely temporary organizational disagreements; they increasingly reflect a deep crisis affecting the leadership structure of the movement and reveal the nature of the networks it operates behind political and media façades.
In this context, Ibrahim Rabie, a researcher specializing in extremist groups, stated that the Muslim Brotherhood is no longer simply a political movement but has evolved into an “organized crime network” built on opportunism, internal rivalries, and the pursuit of influence and financial gain.
According to the Egyptian outlet “Bawabet Rose Al-Youssef,” elections held within the “Association of the Egyptian Community in Turkey” triggered a new dispute among Brotherhood circles, as leaders of the organization exchanged accusations of manipulation, corruption, and attempts to seize control of institutions linked to the Egyptian diaspora in order to advance their political and organizational agendas.
Available information indicates that these disputes reflect a recurring pattern within the group, where different factions compete for influence and financial resources in the absence of genuine democratic mechanisms inside the organization. Observers believe that what is taking place in Turkey reveals the true nature of the Brotherhood’s structure, which is based on closed loyalties and a continuous struggle for leadership positions, a dynamic that has led to sharp divisions among its leaders abroad in recent years.
Experts also note that for years the organization has relied on media networks and parallel institutions abroad to reproduce and maintain its political influence. However, those very networks have now become arenas of confrontation among competing leaders.
With the decline of the political support the group once enjoyed in certain regional capitals, these institutions have increasingly turned into instruments of financial and organizational influence within the movement itself, further intensifying internal disputes.
Analysts believe that these divisions reflect a deeper crisis affecting the Brotherhood’s broader political project after years of political decline and the loss of popular support in several Arab countries.
The movement, which once sought to present itself as a political and social alternative, now faces growing accusations that it operates as a closed organization based on secrecy and strict discipline, making it resemble a transnational organizational structure that functions according to the logic of networks rather than that of conventional political parties.
The escalation of internal conflicts within the organization also reflects, according to observers, a state of confusion affecting its leaders abroad after increasing pressure against them in several countries, in addition to their declining ability to influence the political landscape in their countries of origin.
This reality has pushed some factions into open struggles for resources and influence, accelerating the disintegration of the organizational structure that the Brotherhood had managed to preserve for decades.
In light of these developments, experts believe that what is happening within the Muslim Brotherhood today cannot be separated from the historical crisis the organization has been experiencing for years, as its political legitimacy continues to erode and internal divisions grow increasingly pronounced.
