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German intelligence detects suspicious Brotherhood activities for five decades
The Brotherhood was established in Germany in the 1960s by the group’s leader, Said Ramadan, who co-founded the Munich Mosque, the first mosque in Germany.
1040 leaders and suspicious activities
In a document dated February 2, 2019, the German government revealed to Parliament the features of the Brotherhood's presence in the country “The Islamic community in Germany is the most prominent and important Brotherhood organization in Germany,” adding that “the organization is trying to establish itself in society and politics in Germany.”
The document also said: "The organization avoids linking itself explicitly to the Muslim Brotherhood, and avoids declaring anti-constitutional speeches." "In public, the German Islamic Society is committed to the constitution and the democratic system, but its goals are anti-constitutional and against the order," it added.
The document also highlighted that the Constitution Protection Authority estimated the number of crucial Brotherhood leaders in Germany at 1040 people.
Concerning the number of organizations and mosques associated with the Brotherhood in Germany, the document stated: "It is not possible to provide an accurate statistics on organizations and mosques associated with the Muslim Brotherhood, because a large number of organizations do not publicly link themselves to the group, and the dynamics and fluctuations of the Islamic scene prevent the availability of accurate statistics."
As for the training and educational activities of the terrorist Brotherhood in Germany, the document said that "the Islamic Center in Munich (south) linked to the Brotherhood, is training 120 students and students between the ages of 6 and 20 years."
It added: "The European Institute of Humanities, which is also an organization affiliated with the Brotherhood, organizes educational seminars for adults permanently, but no information is available on the numbers attending these seminars."
According to German press reports, the German authorities are concerned about the educational content that children and adults receive in Brotherhood education and training centers, because of its incitement to extremism.
Strict control since 1970
In another document dated March 29, 2019, the German government informed the Parliament that "the Constitutional Protection Authority at the federal level, and its branches in the 16 states of the country, monitor institutions and individuals affiliated with the Brotherhood."
The document added that the Commission had monitored Brotherhood-affiliated institutions in Germany since 1970. The Constitutional Protection Authority regularly monitors organizations and individuals who pose a significant threat to democracy and aim to undermine the political system.
According to the document, Brotherhood-affiliated organizations in Germany do not publicly link themselves to the group. The report cited the example of the "Center for Non-Profits in Saxony," an organization linked to the group that had to suspend its activities entirely during the past years after its relationship with the Brotherhood became known to the public.
As for the Brotherhood’s funding sources, the document stated that the German government “does not have any information about the group’s profit companies in Germany and the assets they own, nor does it have information about the profits of these companies.” It added: “The government does not have information about the source and value of the funds That flows from abroad to the Brotherhood in Germany.”
According to the same document, the state of Hesse and its capital, Frankfurt, is an important center for the Brotherhood, with 300 of the group's leadership elements out of 1040 in all of Germany, while in Berlin alone there are 120 elements, and in the southern Bavaria region about 150 members.
More dangerous than "ISIS" and "Al Qaeda."
German magazine Fox reported on the report of the Constitution Protection Authority in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, western Germany, in early 2019, that political Islam groups such as the Brotherhood do not wear explosive belts such as "ISIS" or "Al Qaeda." Still, they are "professional in deception," " It works by all means to implement an Islamic system of government in Europe, and accepts in a tactical move the presence in a democratic order as a transitional phase that precedes the achievement of its goal of undermining this system at a later time. "
The report concluded that "the Brotherhood is more dangerous to the democratic system and way of life in German society than (ISIS) and (Al Qaeda), in the long run."
The report continued that the Brotherhood uses functional integration into society as a strategy to achieve its goals, including building strong relationships with state agencies, politicians, writers and civil society organizations, and appearing actively in the media.
On November 11, the head of the Constitution Protection Commission in North Rhine-Westphalia, Burkhard Freier, said in an interview with the German newspaper "Frankfurter Allgemeine" especially ":" Ostensibly, the Brotherhood confirms that it wants to adapt to the democratic system, but adopts an entirely different ideology secretly, " adding "Therefore, we classify the Brotherhood as an unconstitutional group."
According to an evaluation of the branch of the Commission for the Protection of the Constitution in the state of Lower Saxony in southern Germany, "The main goal of the Brotherhood is to control Muslim communities in Germany and impose their ideology on them," "Brotherhood members in Germany rarely appear in public events and work in secrecy, while their affiliated organizations work on political agitation."
The Commission added that the Brotherhood, in its endeavor to topple governments and replace them with an Islamic theocratic rule, would follow methods including cultural penetration of societies and, if necessary, violence. "The Brotherhood living in Germany is endangering the foreign interests of the Federal Republic of Germany," it added.
Brotherhood and Turkish organizations: suspicious relations
In a surprising move, last October, Kazem Turkman, head of the Turkish Islamic organization Ditib, which is active in Germany, acknowledged the existence of communication channels with the terrorist Brotherhood. "There are channels of communication with the Brotherhood," Germany's Funke group reported on its website, saying, "I think it logical to have a dialogue with the group."
Early last year, Brotherhood representatives participated in a conference organized by the Turkish organization Ditib at the Grand Mosque in Cologne, western Germany, and led to the formation of the so-called "Coordination Council" for Muslims in Europe, according to the German newspaper Rheinische Post.
Ditib operates under the direct order of the Turkish system and is an essential arm for achieving its goals in Germany. According to the Center for Studies of the German Parliament, "Ditib is directly linked to the Directorate of Religious Affairs (Dianet), which is under the direct supervision of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan." Hence, the Brotherhood and Ditib alliance within the framework of the new Muslim Coordinating Council in Europe is a new way for Erdogan to achieve his goals on German soil.
In exclusive statements to Levent News, Professor of Oriental Studies at the Austrian University of Vienna, Rüdiger Lohlker said, “The Brotherhood and Ditib are members of a suspicious network that also includes terrorist organizations like ISIS,” adding, “Erdogan uses this network as a long arm to threaten Europe, achieve his interests and spread his ideas. In Muslim societies on the European continent.”
Calls to "stop dialogue" with the group
In a natural reaction to the uncovering of suspicious roles and activities of the Brotherhood during 2019, the German expert in terrorist organizations affairs, Hermann Marshall, called on the German government to stop any dialogue between official institutions in Germany and the Brotherhood during the coming period, adding in press statements, “Brotherhood does not change. ”
Marshall pointed out that the Brotherhood is "hostile to the constitution and democratic system," expecting the organization to suffer enormous pressure in 2020 due to its anti-law positions and activities in Germany.
Brotherhood is standing back under pressure
Gordian Meyer-Plath, director of the Constitution Protection Authority in the southeastern state of Saxony, said in January that the Brotherhood had retreated in Germany and no longer had much influence over Muslim societies.
Meyer-Plath said in the statements of the German news site RTL, "The Brotherhood has declined significantly," explaining, "The expansion of the group has not had the same dynamism as before."
He added: “The Brotherhood can no longer influence the lives of Muslims here in a sustainable manner.” He continued: “Yes, about a thousand people visit the mosques of the group on Friday every week in the city of Leipzig, for example, but not all of them support it. Perhaps they are ordinary believers who go to these mosques because there are no alternatives.”
