Leaked Muslim Brotherhood Report Deemed ‘Alarmist’ by Academics and Civil Society Groups

A recent report alleging links between various Muslim organizations and the Islamist group Muslim Brotherhood has sparked widespread criticism from experts and civil society groups across France and Europe.

Although the document, obtained by POLITICO and covered by multiple media outlets, presents several pieces of purported evidence, it lacks clarity in establishing direct connections to the Islamist movement. According to France’s Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau, parts of the report will remain classified for national security reasons. In an interview with Le Parisien, Retailleau stated that certain details were too sensitive to make public.

However, several scholars and organizations have expressed concern over the report’s content and tone. Franck Frégosi, a political scientist who specializes in Islam in France — and whose work was cited in the report — criticized what he described as an “alarmist” approach. Speaking to France Inter, Frégosi argued that the report misrepresents everyday religious choices, such as wearing a headscarf, as indications of Muslim Brotherhood influence.

Nadia Fadil, associate professor at the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium and an expert on Islam in Europe, also condemned the report’s generalizations. She noted that it unfairly paints a broad and diverse Muslim civil society with a single brush, likening the approach to equating all left-wing ideologies, from communism to social democracy, with Karl Marx.

The French Council of the Muslim Faith, a body established under former Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy and historically a key partner to the French state on Muslim issues until ties were cut by President Emmanuel Macron in 2023, warned that such allegations risk creating a climate of permanent distrust toward French Muslims. In a public statement, the council urged that the report not fuel generalized suspicion.

Organizations cited in the report as linked to the Muslim Brotherhood have also denounced the accusations. The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations (FEMYSO), mentioned in the report as being associated with the Islamist movement, released a statement denying any political affiliations and condemning the narrative for marginalizing Muslim civil society.

Similarly, the Federation of French Muslims — described in the document as the Muslim Brotherhood’s French branch — responded to the claim in a social media post, calling it “unfounded.”

As the debate continues over the validity and impact of the report, critics argue that such broad-brush accusations may do more harm than good by stigmatizing Muslim communities in France and further entrenching divisions in an already tense social climate.