Government, Opposition and Security Agencies Unite in Austria to Confront the Muslim Brotherhood Threat
Austria’s government, opposition and security agencies have aligned in their efforts to combat political Islam, with the Muslim Brotherhood at the center of their attention. This convergence could signal the approaching end of the movement’s presence in the country.
Political Islam and the far-right Identitarian Movement were the focus of the first meeting of the state police committee, held two days ago at the request of the parties in the governing coalition.
The meeting was convened amid a need for information on recent developments within these two movements, which officials describe as extremist. It also comes as government representatives indicate that a proposal to ban political Islam will soon be introduced.
In a statement concerning the meeting, the Interior Ministry said that “all actors within political Islam, as well as the far-right Identitarian Movement, are attempting to establish their extremist ideologies permanently within public discourse.”
“Their objective includes shifting social and democratic boundaries in order to make authoritarian ideas more acceptable,” the statement continued.
The ministry said the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence, Austria’s domestic intelligence agency, was monitoring extremist developments and structures and taking firm action against anti-democratic activities.
Interior Minister Gerhard Karner said that “the Directorate of State Security and Intelligence protects our Austrian democracy.”
“Every form of extremism is being confronted with determination,” he added.
Opposition Pressure
The Freedom Party, the country’s strongest political party, has called for the immediate establishment of a legal framework to ban political Islam.
Speaking to the press, Michael Raml, the Linz city councillor responsible for security affairs and a senior Freedom Party figure, said that developments involving political Islam required swift action.
“Political Islam targets our democratic system based on the rule of law and creates fertile ideological ground for extremism. The state must intervene decisively wherever religion is exploited for extremist purposes,” he said.
A recent domestic intelligence report noted, among other concerns, the continued recruitment and radicalization of young people within political Islamist circles, as well as increased activity by Islamist organizations involved in the education and social development of children and adolescents.
“We must not wait until specific attack plans exist before taking extremism seriously,” Raml said. “Security policy must begin at an early stage by monitoring networks, closing legal loopholes and providing the authorities with the tools they need to take decisive action.”
At the same time, the Constitutional Committee of the National Council, the lower house of Austria’s Parliament, discussed a proposed resolution last Wednesday submitted by the Freedom Party, the main opposition party. The proposal calls for a ban on political Islam, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood organization.
The party proposed banning activities associated with “political Islam” or aimed at advancing its objectives, dissolving organizations affiliated with political Islam and revoking the Austrian citizenship of individuals who belong to or support such organizations.
Markus Tschank, Christian Schandor and Michael Schilchegger, the lawmakers who introduced the proposal, also called for the confiscation of assets belonging to the organizations concerned.
Addressing the committee, Schilchegger argued that the existence of a prohibition law would make it easier to identify a range of acts committed in Austria that have an extremist background.
The committee is expected to submit a report to Parliament on the Freedom Party’s proposal, which is not binding on the government.
Government Proposal
The Austrian government recently announced that it was working to ban political Islam and introduce the legal amendments necessary to achieve that objective, particularly within legislation governing associations and religious organizations.
The government initiative was launched by Chancellor Christian Stocker after authorities identified an alleged Muslim Brotherhood-linked organization operating under the banner of combating extremism and participating in joint projects with the Justice Ministry.
The organization in question is DREID. Austrian intelligence reportedly uncovered its links to the Muslim Brotherhood following a security review launched in June.
Several days ago, Sylvia Mayer, head of the state security and domestic intelligence agency, warned that the Muslim Brotherhood was working to establish parallel societies. She called for stricter legislation governing associations and amendments to criminal law to counter the threat allegedly posed by the movement.
Speaking to the press, Mayer said that “radicalization associated with political Islam represents one of the greatest threats to public security and democracy.”
“This is not solely about the Muslim Brotherhood as an organization, but about the ideology behind it,” she continued. “The situation is similar to right-wing extremism: the more widely an ideology spreads among the population, the more liberal and democratic principles are eroded.”
