Many Islamic associations, organizations, and others that have adopted the ideas and policies of the Muslim Brotherhood have contributed to expanding their activities in a legal manner that compelled the French authorities not to confront this trend until the phenomenon of Muslim Brotherhood expansion under the guise of Islam had exacerbated on its soil.

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Muslim Brotherhood Expansion

France faces the dilemma of Muslim Brotherhood expansion within it, which establishes close relations with the Brotherhood and works to strengthen the grassroots represented in associations, mosques, centers, and others to achieve its own goals. Thus, the Brotherhood found a strategic partner contributing to its funding and pushing it further to achieve its expansion goals not only in France but throughout Europe.

Over the past two years, France has made significant strides in confronting extremist currents, with the Muslim Brotherhood at its heart, which has long enjoyed freedom and spread within French society. It appears that France’s confrontation plan, initiated following security and intelligence warnings about the risks of the organization’s spread and its relationship with other terrorist organizations in the Middle East, notably ISIS and al-Qaeda, seems to be moving towards a stricter and more decisive pattern with the organization that has relied on Europe as a safe haven over the past decade.

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Major Threats

In this regard, Dr. Aqeela Dabishi, Director of the French Center for Strategic and International Studies, said that in recent times France has resorted to several levels to confront attempts and threats posed by the Muslim Brotherhood to the country.

She confirmed that among these measures is working to contain the hate ideology of the Brotherhood in Europe, by banning extremist organizations affiliated with the extremist group inside France and besieging them. She also explained that one of the decisions taken by France is to toughen the rules for obtaining residence and visa grants for foreigners, especially the suspected ones, as well as laws to monitor terrorists like the one passed by the French National Assembly, a bill allowing judicial authorities to monitor those who have been convicted of more than (5) years in terrorism cases, after they are released from prison.

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Aqeela Dabishi pointed out that the terrorist attacks that have occurred in Europe during the past period prompted European governments, including France, to work on combating the group through several stages, notably dismantling its ideology and besieging its spread in all cultural, educational, media, and security tools.

Brotherhood Threat

In the same context, Mustafa Amin, an expert on Islamic group affairs in Cairo, said that France is following in Austria’s footsteps in confronting the Muslim Brotherhood under fears of the terrorist operations occurring in the European continent. He added that Paris is determined to confront the organization out of fear of terrorist threats and the increase in extremist operations, especially after the terrorist operation witnessed by Russia and claimed dozens of victims; prompting the French President Macron to demand security authorities to raise the security alert level to the highest level as a precaution, in light of the threat of terrorist attacks throughout Europe.

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He pointed out that reports from French security authorities have monitored the spread of extremist manifestations within a number of French cities, linking these reports to the spread of political Islam, a fact also confirmed by the French Senate, which called on state leadership to be more vigilant against the threat of the Muslim Brotherhood, explaining that the classification of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in France and Europe has not yet occurred, yet rumors within the corridors and intelligence agencies confirm taking that step at the European level.