The Muslim Brotherhood in France: alarming figures bring the movement back to the heart of parliamentary and security debates

Amid the growing political and security controversies surrounding the Muslim Brotherhood in France and across Europe, the movement’s file is once again returning to the forefront of parliamentary discussions.

As the Republican right prepares to present a European draft resolution on January 22 aimed at placing the Brotherhood on the European list of terrorist organizations, questions are intensifying regarding the true extent of its presence on French territory, the number of its members, and the scope of its political and social influence, at a time when official reports point to a significant expansion of the movement in recent years.

A rapidly expanding current

Republican right-wing lawmakers are expected to examine the proposal within the French National Assembly, after it was approved this week by the Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee. The text is expected to be presented to the plenary session with the support of the centrist bloc and far-right parties.

The French television network CNews reported that official data indicate that the movement has a large number of members in France.

Official figures: numbers doubled in five years

In May 2024, Bertrand Chamoulaud, National Director of Territorial Intelligence, stated in an interview with the newspaper Le Figaro: “We estimate the number of Muslim Brothers in France at around 100,000 people, compared to 55,000 in December 2019, meaning the number has doubled in five years.”

The same official reiterated these figures during a hearing before a parliamentary inquiry committee tasked with examining the links between political movements and organizations or networks that support terrorism or promote extremist Islamist ideology, on October 16.

An extensive network of places of worship

According to a report entitled “The Muslim Brotherhood and Political Islam in France,” published by the French Ministry of the Interior on May 2, 2025, France has 139 places of worship linked to the movement, representing around 7 percent of all registered places of worship on French territory.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, is already classified as a terrorist organization in several countries, including Russia, Austria, the United Arab Emirates, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Egypt, the country where the movement originated.

The United States also added the Brotherhood in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon to its list of foreign terrorist organizations on January 13.