New Measure: Political Islam Under Tightened Surveillance in Austria
Austria has launched a new initiative to combat political Islam, with the Muslim Brotherhood at its center, alongside previous measures in the same domain.
Othmar Landbauer, leader of the Freedom Party in Lower Austria and vice-governor of the region, announced plans to establish a monitoring center for radical Islam, according to his television statements.
Landbauer explained that the objective of the center, which is expected to be operational in the coming months, is to “identify and suppress Islamist hotbeds,” in his own words.
Details about the center remain limited, including its location or the scientific basis for its operations. However, sources said that the Lower Austria region is currently working on the broad outlines of the center and its organizational structure.
A Significant Step Forward
Sociologist Kenan Güngör, a member of the scientific advisory board of the Political Islam Documentation Center in Vienna, commented that the new center will coordinate with representatives from the education, youth work, and security authorities to monitor the situation on the ground and respond at an early stage.
Güngör added in a press interview: “Prevention is the golden key” in confronting political Islam. He also emphasized the need to establish a solid scientific foundation to clearly distinguish between radical Islam and moderate Islam.
He noted that “it would also be logical for the monitoring center to examine all forms of extremism, whether left-wing, right-wing, or religion-based.”
Observers indicate that the new Political Islam Monitoring Center will place Islamist organizations, especially the Muslim Brotherhood—which has been targeted in Austria for years—under strict surveillance. This could allow authorities to dismantle their activities progressively and detect any attempts to establish new branches.
The center differs from the Vienna-based Political Islam Documentation Center, which focuses on studying Islamist organizations and publishing research papers. The new monitoring center will combine scientific and security dimensions to place these organizations under close scrutiny.
Since November 2020, the Graz public prosecutor’s office has been investigating the Muslim Brotherhood for terrorism financing, spreading extremism, and inciting hatred. Furthermore, Austria has banned the symbols of Islamist organizations, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood and Hezbollah, since 2019.
