European Union: The European Parliament has voted to demand a European Union-wide strategy against Islamist entryism, adopting a resolution that names the Muslim Brotherhood network and urges the EU Council to examine whether Brotherhood-linked individuals and organisations should be placed on the bloc’s terrorist list.
FAKTA
- What: On 8 October 2026, the European Parliament adopted a resolution calling for a “European methodology to identify signs of Islamist entryism”.
- Vote: 381 in favour, 167 against, 15 abstentions — carried by a right-wing majority spanning Renew Europe and Patriots for Europe.
- Led by: French EPP MEP Céline Imart, who said it was the first time Europe had voted for a text tackling Islamist entryism and the Muslim Brotherhood.
- Key demands: No EU public money for Islamist networks, a ban on the youth organisation FEMYSO from EU premises, and a Council assessment of terrorist-listing criteria for Brotherhood-linked entities and individuals.
- Legal status: The vote is a political signal, not a binding act — any terrorist designation would require a subsequent decision by the Council of the European Union.
The strategy against Islamist entryism
The resolution calls on the EU to develop a common methodology for recognising what it terms Islamist entryism — signs identified in the text include the confusion of religion and politics, financial opacity and the instrumentalisation of the fight against discrimination.
It asks the European Commission to tighten checks and traceability of EU funding “right to the end of the chain” so that no financial support reaches entities or individuals linked to Islamist networks. EU institutions should no longer serve as “certificates of respectability” for such networks, Ms Imart said, pointing to the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisation (FEMYSO), which the resolution says should be banned from EU premises.
Adopted amendments shaped the final text. An amendment from Renew Europe softened the original wording, condemning “strategies of religious entryism and, in particular, Islamist entryism”, and Parliament declared itself “concerned that religious entryism is at the forefront of efforts to roll back women’s rights and gender equality”. An EPP amendment calls on member states to ensure that actively promoting Islamist ideologies advocating the subordination of women, antisemitism or hatred of Christians carries legal and administrative consequences for access to public funding and social benefits.
The vote: a divided parliament
| Vote | MEPs |
|---|---|
| In favour | 381 |
| Against | 167 |
| Abstentions | 15 |
| Total votes cast | 563 of 719 |
The EPP, Renew Europe, the European Conservatives and Reformists and the Patriots groups backed the text. The Socialists and Democrats, Greens/EFA and The Left voted against. “This resolution is another symbol of the shift by part of the European right, which continues to chase after reactionary groups, thereby normalising their rhetoric, methods and hatred,” said Mélissa Camara of the Greens/EFA group.
Not aimed at the Muslim community, text insists
An explicit condition set by Renew Europe for its support was that the resolution avoid stigmatising Muslims. The adopted text stresses that “criticism of a political ideology must not be equated with an attack on a religion” and that protecting the Muslim community against discrimination is “a democratic obligation”.
“We need to make sure Europe doesn’t fund Islamists. Islam as a faith and political Islam as an ideology must not be conflated. We must protect both democracy and religious freedom,” Ms Imart said. She added: “Where rules allow, the Council should list individuals and organisations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist entities. European money must not fund groups that threaten our rights and freedoms.”
MEPs also adopted an ECR amendment supporting a ban on “full-face coverings (niqab or burqa) in public spaces”.
What happens next
The ball is now in the Council of the European Union, which alone has the power to impose a terrorist designation — a process that would require member states to assess whether the legal criteria are met. The vote itself changes no law, but it places political pressure on EU institutions and national capitals to act.
For more European politics coverage, see Watan News’s report on Spain’s prime minister calling a snap election.
Conclusion
With a clear majority, the European Parliament has made countering Islamist entryism a formal EU-level demand — while insisting the measure is not directed at the Muslim community. Whether the Council follows through with a terrorist designation for Brotherhood-linked networks will be the decisive test in the months ahead.
