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The issue of radicalisation only keeps on growing in Europe

At the source of this radicalisation are very well-unded, extremely well-organised Islamist movements. For example, Salafism has expanded in Europe recently: from Belgium, where the federal state security agency has listed more than 100 Salafist organisations active in the country to France where the number of Salafist mosques has grown from 15 in 1990 to 60 in 2015 to 130 in 2018. Sweden is not spared as well, according to the report "Between Salafism and Salafi Jihadism", the number of Islamist extremists over the past decade there has grown tenfold, from 200 to 2,000. Salafism is one of the main sources of the spreading of violent Islamism in a number of Swedish cities.
The German Office for the Protection of the Constitution recently warned that the largest most influential Islamist organisation in the world, the Muslim Brotherhood, is now a greater danger to Germany than the Islamic State and al-Qaeda. This is meaningful since Europe has very much been the second home of the movement outside of the Middle East since the 1960’s - initially as a base for exiled members of the group, and later as a theatre of operations in its own right. Concerns regarding the organisation’s activities - ranging from its impact on the ability of European Muslims to integrate into wider society to its links with violent extremist movements – have been raised in numerous countries throughout Europe. Publicly, Europe’s Muslim Brotherhood affiliates have sought to define themselves as enemies of extremism. However, key leadership figures have been consistently dogged by allegations of providing ideological and financial support for violent movements outside of Europe. The Muslim Brotherhood’s stance may not actively encourage violence with Europe, but it does divert those it influences away from any path but Islamism. It is therefore inevitable that some who adopt the outlook of the Muslim Brotherhood will subsequently seek to take more direct action.
Despite the warnings and knowledge about the Muslim Brotherhood affiliates in Europe, authorities are still making them their privileged partners. For proof, the British government has held secret talks with the Muslim Council of Britain, a Muslim Brotherhood front, about re-establishing a relationship, nine years after it broke with the group over its alleged links with extremism. Until the West stops naively to work with radical Islamist organisations that they “believe” are moderate, there is no hope of easing tensions. Europe should go by the mantra: “An Islamist is an Islamist is an Islamist.”
Some technology companies are de facto helping the Islamists: the British former top terror officer, Sir Mark Rowley, recently branded Google “a disgrace” over its failure to act on algorithms that rank Islamist radical Anjem Choudary as the number one search result for "British Muslim spokesman". It is meaningful to note that Google has not acted, six months after he first publicly raised the issue.
Despite all the talk about radicalisation online, time and again extremist imams are behind the radicalisation of many Muslims that can lead some to carry out terror attacks or join Islamic State. The European Union Commission on Terrorism of the Parliament wisely advised to set up a list of all the radical imams to be shared between the European countries. The most receptive nations to clamp down on radical imams have been Italy, France and Austria. Last year, Austria shut down seven mosques and expelled 60 imams in what it described as "just the beginning" of a crackdown on "political Islam" and foreign-funded Islamic communities. The 60 imams affected were all connected to the Turkish Islamic Cultural Association (ATIB). It is worthwhile to note that Turkey under President Erdogan has taken the lead in Europe to push the Muslim Brotherhood’s agenda and radicalise the Muslim population. Turkey has already succeeded in placing its pawns as the heads of the official Muslim Council in both France and Belgium.
The radicalisation does not just happen in jails or mosques but also at universities. While there was talk that British authorities would clamp down on radical speakers, British universities and student societies organised at least 200 events with extremist speakers last year, up from 107 in 2016-17.
Therefore, one should not be surprised that the active work of Islamist organisations in Europe has resulted in a massive spread of radicalisation, especially towards the continent’s youth. In a 2018 massive Europe-wide study conducted by Kantar for the Partnership against Violent Radicalisation in Cities, where 12,000 young Europeans were surveyed, more than half of them said they have been exposed to radical narratives; 47% of them also consider violent radicalisation to be prevalent in their respective countries and 18% of the French polled know a radicalised individual. While these statistics are very concerning what to say of the results of a study conducted last year by the Criminological Research Institute of Lower Saxony in Germany. The findings are mind-boggling: 30% of high school Muslim students would see themselves risking their lives to fight for Islam; 27% believe that the Shariah is much better than German laws and 19% say they should fight unbelievers and spread Islam.
Morocco considers rightly so that counter radicalisation strategies put in place in Europe are far from sufficient. The main issue remains that radicals have taken over the voice of moderates within Muslim communities. As Halkano Abdi Wario, a lecturer in Religious Studies at Egerton University summed up this during a panel at the recent GLOBSEC conference: “One of the biggest crisis that moderate voices face is legitimacy. Can they give directions that will be listened to by the youth?”.
In the end, the main weapon against radicalisation might be European Muslim women. In fact, a couple of French government studies reveal that Muslim women are integrating much better than Muslim men into French society. They are much better students than their male counterparts, so they have better access to jobs; they have a much higher rate of mixed marriages and adopt Western values. To capitalise on this, European governments should do their utmost to support the moderates to stop the radicalisation high-speed train.
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BENEFIT AGM approves 10%...
- March 27, 2025
BENEFIT, the Kingdom’s innovator and leading company in Fintech and electronic financial transactions service, held its Annual General Meeting (AGM) at the company’s headquarters in the Seef District.
During the meeting, shareholders approved all items listed on the agenda, including the ratification of the minutes of the previous AGM held on 26 March 2024. The session reviewed and approved the Board’s Annual Report on the company’s activities and financial performance for the fiscal year ended 31 December 2024, and the shareholders expressed their satisfaction with the company’s operational and financial results during the reporting period.
The meeting also reviewed the Independent External Auditor’s Report on the company’s consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2024. Subsequently, the shareholders approved the audited financial statements for the fiscal year. Based on the Board’s recommendation, the shareholders approved the distribution of a cash dividend equivalent to 10% of the paid-up share capital.
Furthermore, the shareholders endorsed the allocation of a total amount of BD 172,500 as remuneration to the members of the Board for the year ended 31 December 2024, subject to prior clearance by related authorities.
The extension of the current composition of the Board was approved, which includes ten members and one CBB observer, for a further six-month term, expiring in September 2025, pending no objection from the CBB.
The meeting reviewed and approved the Corporate Governance Report for 2024, which affirmed the company’s full compliance with the corporate governance directives issued by the CBB and other applicable regulatory frameworks. The AGM absolved the Board Members of liability for any of their actions during the year ending on 31st December 2024, in accordance with the Commercial Companies Law.
In alignment with regulatory requirements, the session approved the reappointment of Ernst & Young (EY) as the company’s External Auditors for the fiscal year 2025, covering both the parent company and its subsidiaries—Sinnad and Bahrain FinTech Bay. The Board was authorised to determine the external auditors’ professional fees, subject to approval from the CBB, and the meeting concluded with a discussion of any additional issues as per Article (207) of the Commercial Companies Law.
Speaking on the company’s performance, Mr. Mohamed Al Bastaki, Chairman BENEFIT , stated: “In terms of the financial results for 2024, I am pleased to say that the year gone by has also been proved to be a success in delivering tangible results. Growth rate for 2024 was 19 per cent. Revenue for the year was BD 17 M (US$ 45.3 Million) and net profit was 2 Million ($ 5.3 Million).
Mr. Al Bastaki also announced that the Board had formally adopted a new three-year strategic roadmap to commence in 2025. The strategy encompasses a phased international expansion, optimisation of internal operations, enhanced revenue diversification, long-term sustainability initiatives, and the advancement of innovation and digital transformation initiatives across all service lines.
“I extend my sincere appreciation to the CBB for its continued support of BENEFIT and its pivotal role in fostering a stable and progressive regulatory environment for the Kingdom’s banking and financial sector—an environment that has significantly reinforced Bahrain’s standing as a leading financial hub in the region,” said Mr. Al Bastaki. “I would also like to thank our partner banks and valued customers for their trust, and our shareholders for their ongoing encouragement. The achievements of 2024 set a strong precedent, and I am confident they will serve as a foundation for yet another successful and impactful year ahead.”
Chief Executive of BENEFIT; Mr. Abdulwahed AlJanahi commented, “The year 2024 represented another pivotal chapter in BENEFIT ’s evolution. We achieved substantial progress in advancing our digital strategy across multiple sectors, while reinforcing our long-term commitment to the development of Bahrain’s financial services and payments landscape. Throughout the year, we remained firmly aligned with our objective of delivering measurable value to our shareholders, strategic partners, and customers. At the same time, we continued to play an active role in enabling Bahrain’s digital economy by introducing innovative solutions and service enhancements that directly address market needs and future opportunities.”
Mr. AlJanahi affirmed that BENEFIT has successfully developed a robust and well-integrated payment network that connects individuals and businesses across Bahrain, accelerating the adoption of emerging technologies in the banking and financial services sector and reinforcing Bahrain’s position as a growing fintech hub, and added, “Our achievements of the past year reflect a long-term vision to establish a resilient electronic payment infrastructure that supports the Kingdom’s digital economy. Key developments in 2024 included the implementation of central authentication for open banking via BENEFIT Pay”
Mr. AlJanahi concluded by thanking the Board for its strategic direction, the company’s staff for their continued dedication, and the Central Bank of Bahrain, member banks, and shareholders for their valuable partnership and confidence in the company’s long-term vision.
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