Today's Edition
PARIS (ALETIHAD)
A discussion session titled “Coexistence, Brotherhood’s Separatism: Crossed Perspectives” organised by the Trends Research & Advisory Centre, in cooperation with the French Senate, took place at the Monory Hall in the Luxembourg Palace in Paris.
During the session, experts emphasised the importance of increasing societal awareness of tolerance and national belonging as a means to confront extremism and ensure the stability of societies.
The speakers from TRENDS and France stressed the necessity of enhancing international cooperation to combat the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology, adopting a conscious media discourse, and developing knowledge frameworks to expose the impact of extremist groups and dismantle their ideologies.
They also reaffirmed the importance of joint efforts among countries to ensure peaceful coexistence and reject all forms of separatism that threaten societies.
International Cooperation
Opening the session, French Senator Nathalie Goulet emphasised the importance of enhancing international cooperation to confront the risks of extremism and separatism.
She praised the role played by TRENDS in combating violent extremism.
Senator Goulet pointed out that Western countries have many weaknesses in their systems and stressed the importance of cooperation between research centres and parliaments for a deeper understanding of the dangers posed by extremist groups.
Scientific Solutions
In his welcoming speech, Dr. Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali , CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, expressed his happiness to participate in the event, which aimed to exchange views on the dangers of extremist ideologies, particularly those of Islamist groups that exploit religion for political purposes, infiltrate societies, create divisions, and threaten societal stability.
He noted that the Muslim Brotherhood is at the forefront of these groups and serves as a platform for many other terrorist organisations.
Dr. Al-Ali pointed out that TRENDS and the French Senate have a common aim to combat the threat of extremist rhetoric, which has become an alternative identity with a religious ideological nature, creating individuals who experience “emotional isolation” from their societies and nations, often with a desire to overthrow the values of their society and harm it.
He also noted that the UAE and France share the goal of promoting values of tolerance between cultures and religions, at both regional and international levels, to help reduce the appeal of extremist ideas and eradicate the phenomenon of extremism.
Expanded Intellectual Dialogue
Dr. Al-Ali explained that since its inception, TRENDS has taken on the responsibility to combat extremism and dismantle the discourse of terrorist groups, foremost among them the Muslim Brotherhood.
This has been done through rigorous studies aimed at deconstructing the concepts and ideologies of these extremist movements, providing effective recommendations and solutions to confront them.
He emphasised that TRENDS has long called for an expanded intellectual dialogue between the West and the Arab world to understand the roots of extremism that lead to violence and address it with comprehensive methods.
Dr. Al-Ali stressed that the session aimed to reinforce the values of tolerance and coexistence, noting that the constructive ideas shared by participants will contribute to supporting the centre’s goals.
Coexistence Key to Societal Stability
Dr. Hamad Al Kaabi, Chief Aletihad News Center Officer, emphasised that coexistence is a fundamental basis for building stable and prosperous societies, as it involves accepting others and ensuring cultural diversity, which enriches nations.
He pointed out that this principle faces significant challenges from Islamist movements, particularly the terrorist Muslim Brotherhood, which has long been sowing separatist ideas that threaten social cohesion.
Dr. Al Kaabi explained that since its founding in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has adopted a policy of building parallel entities within society, with closed organisational structures, establishing mosques, schools, hospitals and even an armed “special organisation” to pursue its agenda outside nation al laws.
This ideology fosters a detachment from national identities, placing loyalty to the group above loyalty to the country, creating an environment that rejects dialogue and diversity, thus posing an ongoing threat to coexistence and social harmony.
Dr. Al Kaabi also highlighted France’s early recognition of the dangers posed by the Muslim Brotherhood’s ideology, especially as the group attempted to control religious discourse through its affiliated imams.
In 2020, the French authorities created the “National Council of Imams” to neutralise extremist elements and ensure a religious discourse that promotes tolerance and openness.
This step reflects an understanding of the separatist tendencies of the Muslim Brotherhood, which undermine national unity, spread hatred, and hinder integration within society.
He further stressed that the media plays a crucial role in con fronting extremist ideas by exposing their discourse and analysing their strategies.
Research centres support this task by providing scientific insights that help protect societies, especially younger generations, from attempts at recruitment and manipulation.
Dr. Al Kaabi urged the media to raise awareness of the dangers of the Muslim Brotherhood at all levels, providing a comprehensive perspective that dismantles their false slogans and strengthens the values of coexistence and national belonging – a critical step towards building cohesive and secure com munities.
‘Muslim Brotherhood Syndrome’
Dr. Wael Saleh, Political Islam Expert at TRENDS, discussed the importance of confronting the Muslim Brotherhood on an intellectual level.
He referred to what he called the “Muslim Brotherhood Syndrome”, a collection of signs, symptoms and phenomena that accompany their presence in the public space, which contradict fundamental values of coexistence.
Among these are their monopolisation of truth and religion, the emotional isolation of their members from society, the superiority of their style of religion over society, and the predominance of populist mobilisation over intellectual thought.
Dr. Saleh argued that their ideology leads to constant societal division and, eventually, civil wars.
He noted that the Brotherhood’s focus on doctrinal and fundamentalist issues hinders social progress, making society a hostage to outdated religious interpretations, disconnected from modern science and philosophy.
Dr. Saleh also identified the Muslim Brotherhood’s tendency to justify violence in its political pursuit of power, grounded in their belief of being the “saved sect” defending the faith.
They undermine the concept of citizenship, favouring loyalty to the group over national allegiance.
Their actions are often manipulated by regional and international powers for political gains, further destabilising the Arab and Muslim world.
He stressed the importance of dismantling the Brotherhood’s ideology and exposing how their style of religion cannot align with values of citizenship and coexistence, calling for a redefinition of terrorism and extremism to include incitement to violence, justifying it and normalising it.
Dr. Saleh called for the dismantling of the sympathetic discourse towards the Muslim Brotherhood within Western academia, particularly as academic lobbies attempt to establish a knowledge monopoly that aligns with the interests of Islamist groups and their strategic allies.
He also emphasised the need to highlight forms of religion that are compatible with social and political modernity, as well as the values of coexistence.
In his presentation, Hamad Al Hosani, Senior Researcher and Head of the Political Islam Studies Department at the centre, offered analytical frameworks to understand the impact of extremist groups and their methods of infiltration into societies.
He stated that the Muslim Brotherhood is the intellectual and organisational incubator from which many terrorist organisations worldwide have emerged since its founding in 1928 by Hassan Al Banna.
Al Hosani explained that the group focused on establishing an ideology aimed at creating an “Islamic state” using all available means, including violence.
He noted that these ideas contributed to creating a fertile environment for the emergence of terrorist organisations such as Al-Qaeda and ISIS, whose leaders adopted the Brotherhood’s ideology as the foundation for their takfiri (excommunicating) thought.
He provided examples, including the ideas of one of the Brotherhood’s leaders, Sayyid Qutb, who introduced the concept of “Hakimiyyah” (sovereignty of God) and considered societies not governed by Sharia law as “jahiliyyah” (ignorant), thereby providing religious justification for the use of violence to establish what he described as the “Caliphate state”.
Al Hosani pointed out that these ideas became the starting point for numerous organisations that adopted violence as a means to achieve their goals.
He noted that the Muslim Brotherhood also acted as a logistical and financial support platform for these organisations through its global networks.
Furthermore, it provided an ideological cover, granting these groups political and religious legitimacy among their followers.
Efforts on the Ground
Joaquim Pueyo, Mayor of Alençon, presented his view on the impact of Islamist separatism on the social fabric of France.
He highlighted the importance of engaging with people to understand the contexts of extremism and how to confront it.
Pueyo said that he had witnessed a variety of religious practices among Muslims in the region and observed hostility between Isla mists and other religious groups.
He mentioned that some Islamists even questioned the beliefs of other Muslims simply for their political differences on issues unrelated to religion.
Morgane Daury-Fauveau, Professor of Law at the University of Picardie Jules Verne, discussed European laws that promote values of coexistence and combat extremism.
She pointed out the extent to which Islamist political groups had infiltrated French communities, raising awareness about the danger this posed to the values of the French Republic.
She emphasised the need for serious efforts to curb the threat of Islamist groups and prevent them from influencing university students during the critical stage of their lives.
She called for the protection of the values of the French Republic, preventing extremist groups from exploiting the Western democratic context to spread and mobilise their ideologies in universities.
Closing Ceremony
At the conclusion, Dr. Al-Ali honoured the participants and awarded several of them with the TRENDS Research Medal in recognition of their efforts and support for the research work.
