The Brotherhood bogeyman: How Europe and the US criminalise Muslim civic life

The Brotherhood bogeyman: How Europe and the US criminalise Muslim civic life Submitted by Farid Hafez on Wed, 05/27/2026 - 12:55 Terrorist labels exported from Egypt and the UAE to crush political opposition are now being deployed across Europe and the US to hollow out Muslim democratic life A protester carries a 'Stop Islamophobia, stop the far right' placard during the Nakba 78 March for Palestine in London, United Kingdom, 16 May 2026 (SOPA Images) On Across western publics, a dangerous claim is spreading that Muslim civic participation is secretly linked to a coordinated Muslim Brotherhood plot to subvert these nations from within. They claim that Muslims - many of them third-generation immigrants - who organise in communities, assert their rights as equal citizens, and engage in democratic politics are doing so as part of a hidden takeover scheme. It is a conspiracy theory, and a familiar one.