SARA ALI ALNEYADI*
Under the dome of the Italian Chamber of Deputies, TRENDS Global, through its Virtual Office in Italy and in partnership with the Milton Friedman Institute and the Department for the Integration of Foreign Communities of the Lega Party, organised a high-level panel discussion titled “The Implications of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Presence in Europe.”
The event was attended by Abdulla Ali Al Subousi, UAE Ambassador to Italy, and brought together a distinguished group of parliamentarians, academics and researchers specialising in terrorism, extremism and political Islam.
The event provided an international platform to discuss the political, social, intellectual and security challenges associated with the presence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, with particular emphasis on integration, national identity, the protection of public freedoms and ways to confront Islamist movements that exploit democratic space to advance their ideological agendas.
From the headquarters of Italy’s legislative institution in Rome, TRENDS launched the Italian edition of the Muslim Brotherhood International Power Index (MBIPI), a landmark contribution to the study of political Islam.
The Index offers the first comprehensive framework, built on empirical data and quantitative methodology, for assessing the Brotherhood’s global reach and influence.
Beyond filling a longstanding methodological and knowledge gap by moving from descriptive narratives to evidence-based quantitative assessment, the Index provides policymakers, researchers and security institutions in Italy, Europe and beyond with an unprecedented tool for evaluating the organisation’s strength across regions and sectors.
It also offers early warning indicators that can help governments anticipate shifts in the group’s influence. In doing so, it promotes greater transparency and accuracy in European public and academic discussions, supports more informed decision-making and encourages a more balanced, depoliticised understanding of the movement’s contemporary trajectory.
To institutionalise cooperation between TRENDS Global and the Milton Friedman Institute, the two sides signed a Memorandum of Understanding to strengthen research collaboration and advance efforts to counter extremist ideology.
But what messages did TRENDS seek to convey to decision-makers, experts, researchers and media professionals in Europe? Perhaps the first message underscored the importance of distinguishing between Islam, which is a global religion that advocates peace and tolerance, and Islamism, which is a political project that employs religion to achieve ideological objectives.
The second message emphasised that Islamism, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, no longer represents only a direct security threat. It has also evolved into a soft institutional and intellectual challenge that gradually influences educational, cultural and civil institutions within European societies.
The third message highlighted that Islamist movements pursue long-term strategies based on gradualism, building supportive environments, cultivating influential elites and exploiting democratic mechanisms, freedom of association and civil action to advance projects that conflict with the values of pluralism and the rule of law.
The fourth message stressed that Islamist activity in Europe poses a threat to the intellectual security of European countries, a cornerstone of national stability that is closely linked to strengthening citizenship, promoting critical thinking, reinforcing a shared national identity and fostering moderate religious discourse.
Perhaps for the first time, the term “soft power risks” was introduced to describe the mechanisms through which the Muslim Brotherhood expands its influence via associations, educational institutions, economic investments, digital platforms and student activities, and the challenges these activities pose to European national security.
Most importantly, as a leading research institution in extremism and political Islam studies, TRENDS sought to reinforce the message that addressing the challenges posed by Islamism requires stronger international cooperation, enhanced information sharing, greater support for scientific research, the development of preventive policies, the protection of educational institutions and more effective integration programmes.
Last but not least, in addition to the risks posed by the Brotherhood's “soft power” and its persistent efforts to build a separate “parallel society” within European cities, TRENDS warned of a dangerous new development in the group’s international activities: the growing use of artificial intelligence tools, ranging from online gaming platforms to encrypted digital networks, for propaganda, recruitment and financing.
*The writer is a Senior Researcher and Director of Strategic Studies Department at TRENDS Group