The Muslim Brotherhood in Germany
The Muslim Brotherhood is one of the most influential networks of political Islam worldwide. The German security authorities have been monitoring its structures for years, because its ideology aims at a social order oriented towards sharia which contradicts central principles of the free democratic basic order. In Europe the movement frequently pursues a strategy of so-called legalistic Islamism. In doing so, it attempts to gain political and cultural influence over the long term through legal organisations, religious institutions and social networks. From the perspective of Jewish organisations, the ideological antisemitism of Islamist movements is moreover a central problem. Antisemitic narratives and images of the State of Israel as an enemy play an important role in Islamist ideology.
A democracy capable of defending itself must not allow organisations that seek to undermine the foundations of the constitutional order over the long term to operate within that order. This position paper provides background information on the Muslim Brotherhood and its representative organisations and calls for greater awareness with regard to how the state deals with the networks mentioned.
