AHMED ATEF, SHABAAN BILAL (CAIRO)
The Global Acceptance Index of the Muslim Brotherhood, unveiled by the TRENDS Sectors Alliance at TRENDS Research & Advisory, illustrates a predominant anti-Brotherhood sentiment across social media platforms, with 81.8% of interactions showcasing negative views.
The index assessed social media users’ perceptions of the Brotherhood from January 1 to December 31, 2023, analysing all mentions to gauge its popularity and the global public opinion towards it. Utilising a SWOT analytical framework, the report delved into the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to the Brotherhood’s presence on social media.
It analysed content from 1.67 million tweets and posts by 26,600 users, averaging 4,560 daily posts, culminating in an overall index score of 46, which suggests a neutral to negative perception.
Sabra Al Qasimi, founder of the Central Front for Combatting Extremism, shared with Aletihad that the Muslim Brotherhood’s emphasis on social media underscores their real-world failures. Al Qasimi critiqued their reliance on electronic brigades and fake accounts for disseminating their views, highlighting the increasing counter-narratives fuelled by the awareness of Arab and European societies.
He emphasised that the unity among Arab and Islamic nations in confronting this significant terrorist entity has been a critical factor. Al Qasimi also noted the successful efforts in exposing the Muslim Brotherhood’s true nature to the Western world, which had previously seen the group as peaceful, thereby shifting European public opinion against them.
Mustafa Amin Amer, an expert on extremist groups, said that the Brotherhood is at the forefront of exploiting social media and electronic platforms for propaganda. Despite governmental resistance, Amer pointed out that the Brotherhood realised early on that using these platforms to reach their audience has a strategic importance.
However, he also observed that regional governments’ adept use of social media for counter-narratives has tarnished the Brotherhood’s image, as reflected in their governance failures. Ahmed Zaghlool, another researcher in extremist group affairs, remarked on the Brotherhood’s adaptation to social media as a natural evolution in communication.
He told Aletihad that, throughout history, the Brotherhood has leveraged every available communication medium to propagate its ideology and attract followers. Zaghlool emphasised that despite the setbacks in traditional media presence, social media offered new avenues for the Brotherhood to advance its cause.
However, he also acknowledged the diminishing popularity of the Brotherhood, attributed to their counterproductive approaches on these platforms, amidst a global shift towards regulated digital engagement and anti-extremism strategies.
Zaghlool underlined the importance of adopting counter-strategies in the digital age to combat the spread of extremist ideologies effectively. The implementation of various strategies to counteract extremist content online, particularly on platforms like Facebook, is underscored by sophisticated censorship mechanisms. These algorithms, as noted by Amr Farouk, a specialist in extremist group dynamics, are essential in curbing the spread of harmful narratives. Farouk told Aletihad that the Brotherhood’s early venture into the digital realm, through the establishment of the Salasil company in the 1990s, underscores their early approach to cyber influence.
He added that the organisation’s transition from individual to societal influence highlights its strategic shift towards shaping collective societal opinions through social media. This transition marks a move from direct action to a broader, more encompassing effort to sway public sentiment, Farouk added.
The discourse surrounding the Brotherhood’s online activities also reflects a move from tangible actions to digital confrontations, creating a nexus of interaction and contention within and beyond Egypt’s borders. Ahmed Al-Qurashi, a Pakistani researcher, critiqued the Brotherhood’s use of populism and emotional rhetoric on social media, which, he argues, distracts from their lack of pragmatic solutions and aims to destabilise governments to expand their influence.
Al-Qurashi told Aletihad that the Brotherhood aims to monopolise religious narratives for various purposes, noting that social media now serves as a double-edged sword, potentially undermining the group’s political legitimacy, which poses a concern for them.
Al-Qurashi also highlighted the declining popularity of the Brotherhood, as detailed in the TRENDS’ report, attributing this to a growing awareness among social media users of the destructive role extremist organisations play in fostering chaos and disseminating misinformation.
The index found that October 2023 was the most interactive month about the Brotherhood, attributed to the events in Gaza. The report indicated a peak in interactions concerning the Brotherhood on October 18, 2023, with 88,912 mentions, coinciding with the controversy surrounding French Minister Gerald Darmanin’s accusations against former French national team player Karim Benzema for contacting the Brotherhood.
The data also revealed a predominant opposition to the Brotherhood in France, with a negative sentiment rate of 97.4%, the United States with 97.4%, India with 94.6%, and Yemen with 99.5%, underscoring a global scepticism towards the organisation. Muneer Adeeb, another expert on extremist groups, underscored the significant impact of social media as a tool for mass communication and its pivotal role in the Brotherhood’s strategy to engender disorder and engage youth.
Adeeb told Aletihad that the increasing influence of these platforms in recent years suggests that the organisation has effectively utilised them to further their reach and influence among younger demographics. He added that the Brotherhood has been leveraging social media to disseminate its ideologies, create turmoil, and slander its adversaries, underlining a consistent pattern of moral character assassination against opponents facilitated through these platforms.
Adeeb observed a discernible downturn in the organisation’s sway, noting this decline is evident not just within the Arab world but globally. This trend is linked to the crumbling of the organisation, the disintegration of its ideologies, and its diminishing clout on social media, as evidenced by TRENDS’ study.
The study highlighted that the majority of interactions on social media regarding the Brotherhood, about 63.4%, originated from individuals aged above 44, predominantly reflecting negative sentiments. Expounding on the significant portion of adverse reactions from older demographics, Adeeb suggested this group’s profound understanding and awareness of the threat posed by the Brotherhood have inspired their active engagement on social media, informed by their rich experience and deep insights.
Al-Qurashi echoed this sentiment, highlighting that the older generation’s familiarity with the Brotherhood’s historical role in Arab and Muslim societies lends them a unique perspective on the dangers of the organisation’s ideology, which aims at societal and state destabilisation.
Amr Farouk contributed to the discussion by pointing out the natural inclination of those over 40 towards scepticism about the Brotherhood, driven by witnessing the adverse effects of the organisation’s rise to power on societal institutions.
The Brotherhood’s pursuit of power devoid of any political programme or national allegiance, has led countries where they gained influence, including Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, and Libya, into crises post-2011. The TRENDS report also found a contrasting geographical sentiment towards the Brotherhood, with Europe exhibiting the highest levels of opposition on social media, whereas Africa showed the most support.
Adeeb attributed Africa’s support to the presence and activities of various terrorist organisations on the continent, suggesting that some African countries serve as sanctuaries for these groups, including the Brotherhood. Conversely, the European public’s awareness of the Brotherhood’s threat stands in stark contrast.
Adeeb further mentioned the Brotherhood’s strategy of portraying themselves as victims to elicit sympathy, describing it as a longstanding manipulation tactic. Sabra Al Qasimi highlighted the significant influence of terrorist organisations, including Da’esh and Al-Qaeda, in many African countries, particularly in Central and West Africa, which inadvertently boosts the Brotherhood’s popularity in those regions.
Mustafa Amin Amer pointed to the conducive environment in Africa for the proliferation of terrorist ideologies, exacerbated by economic and social crises, as a factor facilitating the spread of groups like Da’esh and the Brotherhood across the continent.
The TRENDS Center’s index has highlighted an increasing momentum in France towards the prohibition of the Muslim Brotherhood, alongside a surge in negative perceptions across Europe, particularly regarding allegations of the Brotherhood’s role in radicalising youth towards terrorism. He emphasised the growing concerns among European communities, especially immigrants, about the Brotherhood’s detrimental impact on European society.
He noted the organisation’s strategic use of mosques to disseminate its ideology and garner support among immigrant populations, underlining the significant threat posed to European civil society and its institutions by the Brotherhood’s expansive influence.
Amr Farouk elaborated on the Western perspective, acknowledging that while some Western entities initially utilised the Brotherhood for their own ends, there is now a concerted effort to eradicate its presence due to the organisation’s role in fostering segregated communities and seizing control over institutions. This initiative has gained urgency in the wake of increased terrorist activities and extremist proliferation.
In Yemen, negative sentiments towards the Brotherhood on social media platforms have reached an overwhelming 99.5%, underscoring the extensive opposition to the organisation within the country. Farouk depicted the Brotherhood as a quasi-colonial force, alleging its involvement in projects that distort the essence of Islam and tarnish the global image of Muslims under the guise of serving broader, external agendas.
Mounir Adeeb remarked on the unmistakable consensus against the Brotherhood, evident across various social media platforms, including X, formerly known as Twitter. He argued that the widespread anti-Brotherhood sentiment stems from the organisation’s perceived disloyalty to national identities, prioritising its ideological agenda over national allegiance.
This realisation among the people has fuelled a wave of critical discourse against the Brotherhood, highlighting its contentious stance on national belonging and its deviation from traditional Islamic teachings.
The discourse surrounding the Brotherhood’s ideology revealed a negative sentiment rate of 68.8%, with critical discussions touching on various issues. These included denouncements by religious authorities labelling the Brotherhood’s methodology as aberrant and harmful to Islam, as well as accusations of its members’ disregard for national unity, dubbing them as modern-day Kharijites.
Conversely, the positive sentiment, constituting 31.2% of the interactions, defended the Brotherhood. Supporters portrayed it as a preferable alternative to other religious representations, lauding its mission as “the eternal call”.