The search for “Schengen”… Turkey’s Muslim Brotherhood and the journey towards the end

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This rapprochement has pushed the leaders of the terrorist group to arrange for a “big escape” from Turkey towards “safe havens” by currently seeking Schengen visas for Europe as an exit, as they have become unwanted in Turkey. This was revealed by Egyptian journalist Hussam al-Gamri, who was once aligned with the Muslim Brotherhood.

Meanwhile, an expert in international terrorism believes that the “Muslim Brotherhood’s plan to obtain a transit visa to Europe faces difficulties and challenges,” and he predicts that some members of the group in Turkey might resort to seeking asylum in Germany.

The Egyptian journalist Hussam al-Gamri warned the Brotherhood’s youth through a message on his Twitter account a few days ago, cautioning them against “repeating the Rabaa scenario,” in reference to the escape of the Brotherhood’s leadership abroad, leaving the youth behind after involving them in violent acts in Egypt following the June 30, 2013 revolution that toppled the organization from power in the country.

Al-Gamri stated: “Oh Muslim Brotherhood youth in Istanbul… did you know that your leaders have been going to certain offices for the past month to obtain Schengen visas for Europe? When something new happens, they will leave you to your fate, which you know well in Turkey, and they will escape just like they did after knowing the date of Rabaa’s dispersal.”

Regarding this situation, Albert Farhat, an expert in international terrorism based in France, stated that “most of the Muslim Brotherhood leaders residing in Turkey have been put on the deportation list, and some of them have already been deported,” following the Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement.

In light of this situation, Farhat added, “these leaders are already seeking Schengen visas to settle in Europe, seeking the possibility of stability and political, social, or economic asylum in Europe.”

However, the international expert believes that “the matter is not as easy as the Brotherhood’s leaders imagine, as Europe sets conditions for those seeking a visa, such as not being involved in violence and terrorism in their home countries or being placed on the terrorist lists that Egypt sent to the European Union.”

Farhat assumes that the Brotherhood elements might find refuge in Germany, given the presence of many Brotherhood leaders there, whether Egyptian, Syrian, or Jordanian.

The Muslim Brotherhood has had a significant presence in Germany since the 1960s, and it is spread across the country’s states through a network of organizations, associations, and mosques.

According to the latest report by the Federal Constitutional Protection Agency, the number of core elements of the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood in Germany has significantly and noticeably increased over the past two years, reaching 1450 members in 2021, compared to 1040 in 2018.

Regarding media reports about some Muslim Brotherhood leaders seeking refuge in Bosnia, Farhat said, “the matter is not as simple as some claim, as the changes that have taken place and are currently happening in Bosnia for the past two years make it under the scrutiny of European intelligence agencies working in counterterrorism.”

Farhat continued, “the numerous operations targeting jihadist and Brotherhood leaders in the Balkan countries confirm what was mentioned.” He also added, “however, the possibility still exists, especially in light of the possibility of buying citizenship and identity documents, both in Bosnia and some neighboring countries.”

The numerous requests of the Muslim Brotherhood in Turkey for obtaining Schengen visas to travel to Europe reflect, according to Dr. Bashir Abdul Fattah, an expert in Turkish affairs at the Ahram Center for Political and Strategic Studies, “the predicament that the group is experiencing in Ankara, given the accelerating Egyptian-Turkish rapprochement, and the Turkish authorities’ refusal to grant some of its members citizenship or residency.”

Abdul Fattah said that Turkey’s moves have led the group’s elements to consider searching for alternative havens, highlighting to what extent the Brotherhood has been negatively affected by the rapprochement between Egypt and Turkey and its feeling that the Turkish President is determined to satisfy Cairo at any cost in matters related to the Brotherhood, whether by handing over its leaders or expelling them from the country.

The return of normalcy in relations between Cairo and Ankara dealt a severe blow to the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood elements.

Following the announcement of the return of diplomatic representation between the two countries to the level of ambassadors, Ankara imposed new restrictions on the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and its elements on its territory.

Turkish authorities conducted extensive raids targeting Brotherhood elements and detained those who did not possess any identification, residency, or citizenship documents. They also asked two Brotherhood members, Musab al-Samaliji and Islam Ashraf, to leave the country, according to media reports.

The Turkish authorities imposed strict restrictions on the members of the Muslim Brotherhood and demanded that they refrain from publishing any news, writings, or tweets that criticize the Egyptian government or President Abdul Fattah el-Sisi. Those who violate these instructions were threatened with deportation from the country