Today's Edition
Dr Mohammed Abdullah Al-Ali
The writer is the CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory.
The terrorist organisation known as the Muslim Brotherhood was among the greatest beneficiaries of the climate of chaos and regional unrest in the Middle East during what the media dubbed the “Arab Spring”.
The group exploited this sweeping disorder to bring down several states, spread its activist ideology, and promote a culture of violence and terrorism through a militia-like mindset that transcends geography, along with organisational branches all born from the womb of the parent organisation. In a critical historical moment, it managed to leap into power in some Arab countries.
It is mistaken to believe that the Muslim Brotherhood has collapsed or entered a phase of decline under the weight of the pressures it has faced in recent years, despite their intensity. Rather, the organisation continues its systematic efforts to undermine state stability-either directly through ideologically aligned agents and loyal proxies among leaders, as seen in countries such as Sudan and Yemen, or by attempting to spread chaos and reproduce crises in other states through the dissemination of rumours, distortion of facts, media disinformation, and questioning of governments’ ability to carry out their responsibilities.
The United Arab Emirates is well aware, based on historical experience with the Muslim Brotherhood in the region, of the group’s ability to absorb crackdowns and pressures and to circumvent efforts aimed at eradicating its ideas. Accordingly, the UAE continues its efforts to dry up the sources of Brotherhood ideology, and to protect its citizens from these pernicious intellectual afflictions that ultimately lead their adherents to armed violence, extremism, and terrorism.
In this context, the decision to exclude British universities from the list of accredited academic institutions for government scholarships came as confirmation of the scale of concern and anxiety felt over the spread of extremism within universities in the United Kingdom. This is an issue well understood by the British side; however, complex political and partisan balances within Britain mean that the UAE does not wish its students to bear the cost of these dynamics.
In this regard, remarks by US Vice President JD Vance about the presence of what he described as “Islamic indoctrination” in certain areas, reaching dangerous levels, further underscore the validity of the UAE’s concerns. In fact, the current US administration fully understands these concerns and is aware of their consequences. This was reflected in President Trump’s signing of an executive order initiating procedures to designate some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organisations.
Earlier, in May, French President Emmanuel Macron had instructed his government to develop proposals to address the “influence” of the Muslim Brotherhood and the spread of “political Islam” in France, following reports warning of its “threat to national cohesion”.
The truth is that the American move to curb the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States - and, by extension, internationally - is extremely important, especially since this firm US approach, even though it has not yet included the parent organisation, will push countries that host the group’s members and leaders, and provide them with safe havens to abandon their protection or, at least, reconsider the impact of doing so on their strategic interests.
Despite regional and international pressure and tightening measures against the transnational Brotherhood organisation, and despite the moderate thought upheld by long-established Islamic religious institutions in the Arab and Islamic worlds, the unfortunate reality is that Middle Eastern geostrategic conditions continue to grant the Muslim Brotherhood a new lifeline. Ongoing internal crises, conflicts, and geopolitical tensions represent free gifts to the forces of extremism and terrorism.
This is evident in Sudan and Yemen, where the role of the Brotherhood is being revived by regional powers that were previously burned by its actions and had designated it a terrorist organisation.
Meanwhile, signs of tension and instability are emerging in other countries, awaiting the Brotherhood’s move to seize the opportunity to bargain with, and extort, all parties, should it once again succeed in hijacking decision-making power and state sovereignty.
It has become clear that some countries in the region have failed to learn from the lessons of history and are once again betting on a terrorist group that destroyed those who embraced it before anyone else.
