European Center Warns of Secret Work of the Brotherhood After Their Activities Are Besieged
A European think tank predicted the Brotherhood’s future influence in Austria and Germany would decline, but warned that members of the terrorist organization would resort to “underground action” in the face of the steps of besieging them.
Dr. Jassem Mohammed, head of the German-based European Center for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies, told Al-Ain News that there has been a “recent European vigilance against political Islamist groups.”
The recent imposition by the governments of some European countries, such as Austria, of closer monitoring of the Brotherhood’s activities inside the country, restricting the movement of its members, and closing down institutions suspected of financing terrorism and spreading extremist ideas.
But the European Center warned – with the banning of the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood – that the secret work of the Brotherhood in Austrian cities would increase because of the ban.
“It is expected that the unlimited influence of the ideologies of the organization and extremist groups on their elements will expand,” he said.
The European Center noted that “there is a shift by extremist organizations towards accelerating the recruitment of youth into their ranks.”
He pointed to developing “the level of extremist rhetoric, as a new way to make political gains within Austrian society.”
Vigilance in Austria
The Muslim Brotherhood has a significant presence in Austria, especially in Vienna and Graz, and its main arm is the Association of Culture, or Liga Kultur, and dozens of associations, mosques, and cultural centers such as al-Nour in Graz and al-Hidaya in Vienna.
In recent months, however, Austria has set a strong example for all of Europe in the way it deals with the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization, whether by banning its slogans or issuing security strikes against its bases
Last week, Austria’s National Assembly passed a new law to combat terrorism and extremism, which aims to strengthen state efforts to ban the activities of terrorist organizations and crack down on their financiers.
According to Austrian Minister of the Interior Karl Nihmer, the new legislation allows for stiffer penalties for extremist incubators, facilitates their surveillance as well as the monitoring of hate speech and religious extremism, and the exploitation of the Internet for these purposes.
A document sent by the Austrian Minister of the Interior and a copy of which was seen by Al-Ain Al-Ikhbariya, also revealed to the Parliament earlier that the law banning slogans and symbols of terrorist organizations had achieved great success in the past two years.
“The government is moving to expand the code law as announced in the new anti-terrorism package recently,” the document said, adding that the law will significantly help curb the appearance of these organizations and their slogans in the country.
Measures Against the Brotherhood
“These and other actions will contribute to limiting the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the future in Austria and Germany, and reduce the organization’s activities,” said Dr. Jassem Mohammed, head of the European Center for Counterterrorism and Intelligence Studies.
“The recent Austrian and German actions and measures against the activities of the Brotherhood represent a step in the long road to combatting extremism and terrorism,” Jassem Mohammed said.
According to his information, the President of the European Center indicated that among the government actions taken; It also prohibits foreign financing that reaches the group, in addition to other measures, including training imams in the country and not bringing them from abroad, in addition to tightening security and pursuing terrorists.
The head of the European Center also considered Austria’s decision to ban the raising of flags and symbols at events and demonstrations as a move that will weaken the morale of the terrorist organization and its supporters.
In a recent report, the European Center for Counter-Terrorism and Intelligence Studies said the Austrian government was closely monitoring the Brotherhood’s activities inside the country, restricting the movement of its members, and closing several mosques and institutions suspected of financing terrorism and spreading extremist ideas.
The Brotherhood’s Infiltration Nucleus in Austria
The Muslim Brotherhood began with the immigration of many of its cadres to Austria during the 1960s, and its presence was established by immigrants such as Youssef Nada and Said Ramadan, and over time their networks grew and developed, he said.
The Center said that the Brotherhood was forging a network of strong ties with the elite and establishing entities, companies, charities and humanitarian organizations.
He reviewed the most prominent extremist organizations and groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Religious Authority of Austria, the Austrian Muslim Youth Organization, the Milli Gros Association, the Arab Religious Society, the Islamic Society of Civilizations and the Association of Islamic Culture of Austria.
First strike
On November 9, Austrian police carried out raids in 4 federal states, including Vienna, targeting people and associations linked to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood and the Palestinian Hamas movement.
During the raids, police searched more than 60 apartments, houses, commercial headquarters and clubs, arresting 30 people who were brought before authorities for “immediate questioning” before releasing them, according to an official statement.
These raids dealt a heavy blow to the Brotherhood’s bases and arms in Austria and placed them under suspicion and security control. In a previous document sent to parliament, the Austrian Minister of the Interior described them as “great success.”
According to observers, the Constitutional Protection Authority is moving to place associations and individuals affiliated with the Brotherhood under tight surveillance in the coming period.
