The Muslim Brotherhood Network in Germany: Organizations and Operational Mechanisms
A vast and intricately connected network governs the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in Germany, built on strategies of gradual infiltration and strategic deception.
The main entity, often described as the umbrella organization, is the German Muslim Community (DMG), which serves as the Brotherhood’s public front and operational center in the country.
One of the DMG’s primary goals is to present itself to politicians, authorities, and civil society partners as a representative of a supposedly moderate global Islam.
However, it operates with the clear intention of influencing German political and social life through the Brotherhood’s ideological framework.
A deliberate strategy of concealment
The organization follows a tactical approach of public disassociation—it avoids acknowledging any direct link to the Muslim Brotherhood or making statements that might contradict Germany’s constitutional values. Nevertheless, numerous ties between senior DMG officials and prominent Brotherhood figures abroad clearly indicate its affiliation with the global Brotherhood network.
Currently, around 50 Islamic centers closely collaborate with the DMG, along with many affiliated mosques and prayer halls.
Altogether, tens of thousands of Muslims in Germany are likely exposed to the Brotherhood’s teachings through sermons, religious programs, lectures, and educational institutions.
Key second-tier organizations
According to reports from Germany’s domestic intelligence agency, the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, several key organizations play a prominent role in the Brotherhood’s second-tier network in Germany:
- The Islamic Center in Aachen
- The Islamic Center in Munich
- The Taiba Mosque in Berlin
- The Abu Bakr Center in Cologne
Despite the DMG moving its headquarters from Munich to Cologne, the Munich center still maintains confirmed links with the Brotherhood.
In 2023, further connections were uncovered between the Brotherhood and a group in Bremen called the “Union of Islamic Universities in Bremen.”
A focus on indoctrination and expansion
The intelligence reports highlight the Brotherhood’s core activities as:
- Recruitment of new followers
- Youth engagement
- Educational programs rooted in Brotherhood ideology
The organization employs deceptive tactics to infiltrate German society, normalize its ideological messages, and subtly impose its views through long-term strategies—all under the guise of lawful engagement.
Brotherhood supporters also seek political influence through legal participation at the municipal, regional, and federal levels.
A long-term threat to democratic values
According to these same reports, the Muslim Brotherhood is actively working to undermine Germany’s liberal democratic order, with the long-term aim of replacing it with a system aligned with its ideological beliefs.
