The Muslim Brotherhood Under Surveillance in Germany: A Machinery for Spreading Extremism and Strategic Infiltration
Approximately 1,450 influential members operate within a closed network headed by the German Muslim Community, with the objective of expanding their influence and ultimately promoting deeply extremist ideas.
This is how the Bavarian Office for the Protection of the Constitution, Germany’s domestic intelligence agency in the country’s second-largest federal state, describes the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities both within Bavaria and across Germany. According to the report, the organization seeks to establish itself as an influential actor in the country before promoting its own political system and ideology.
The report states that “organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood and their various affiliated branches seek to implement their long-term objectives and social and political visions within the existing legal framework by exerting strategic influence over Germany’s political sphere.”
It continues: “In this context, these groups may publicly reject violence while simultaneously endorsing and supporting the use of violence against their opponents abroad.”
The report further states: “The Muslim Brotherhood presents itself publicly as open-minded, tolerant, and willing to engage in dialogue. It seeks cooperation with political institutions and decision-makers in order to gain influence in public life. Nevertheless, its ultimate objective remains the establishment of a social and political order based on its extremist ideology.”
The document goes on to explain the Brotherhood’s strategy, noting that it “operates within the domestic legal framework and exploits the freedoms it guarantees—particularly freedom of religion—to entrench its extremist interpretation of Islam.”
The Umbrella Organization and Its Leadership
To achieve this objective, the Muslim Brotherhood systematically seeks to establish relationships with public institutions and policymakers, presenting itself as the representative of the “Muslim community” and as the primary point of contact for Islamic affairs. Its aim is to secure political recognition within society and extend its influence over Muslim communities.
According to the report, the German Muslim Community serves as the umbrella organization of the Muslim Brotherhood in Germany. It oversees an extensive nationwide network comprising associations, mosques, and institutions, including the Islamic Center of Munich.
The German Muslim Community is regarded as the Brotherhood’s principal and central organization in Germany. The connections maintained between its officials and the movement’s international actors demonstrate that it forms part of a global network.
The report estimates that the Muslim Brotherhood currently has approximately 1,450 active leaders and senior members in Germany, including around 110 operating in Bavaria.
Previous Warnings
The report reiterates warnings recently issued by German officials regarding the Muslim Brotherhood’s alleged infiltration of the country’s political establishment.
Last month, the parliamentary group of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) submitted an inquiry to the Bundestag concerning the infiltration of Islamist organizations—particularly the Muslim Brotherhood—into political parties within Germany’s political center.
The introduction to the inquiry states: “The covert infiltration of our society constitutes one of the greatest threats to democracy in our country,” adding that “this infiltration is not limited to extremist Islamists but also extends to the anti-Western worldview promoted by certain left-wing movements.”
Several weeks earlier, a report issued by the Brandenburg Office for the Protection of the Constitution, accused the Muslim Brotherhood of penetrating the core of society through dialogue, education, and volunteer work while pursuing what it described as a sophisticated dual strategy.
The report quotes Brandenburg Interior Minister Jan Redmann as saying: “The Muslim Brotherhood exploits the freedoms guaranteed by our legal system with the very aim of abolishing those same freedoms and entrenching its totalitarian ideology.”
