***Article first published by 'The Voice of Europe' on May 14, 2020***

An internal intelligence report from the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (BfV) in state of Bavaria has warned of the growing security threat posed by Muslim Brotherhood.

The report states that Muslim Brotherhood in Germany seeks to establish a comprehensive system of government which does not guarantee the sovereignty of the people, the principles of freedom, or equality.

Transforming German society

In its report, the BfV added that “the Brotherhood’s primary goal is to form a system of government and many of the Muslim Brotherhood’s principles are hostile to the German Constitution, especially the principles of democracy, the rule of law and a political system based on human dignity.”

The report emphasizes that the essence of the Brotherhood’s anti-constitution principles and goals are stipulated in the “general system of the Muslim Brotherhood,” the general rules of the Muslim Brotherhood which were put forward by first generation of the founding fathers and Hassan al-Banna (the founder of the group in Egypt in the 1920s).

The report also notes that “the Islamic Community Organization is the basic organizational structure of the Muslim Brotherhood in Germany, and this organization is a member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe, which is the mother organization of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, and is based in Brussels.”

“Samir Falah, the former president of the German Islamic Society, was elected president of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe in 2018,” reflecting the strength of the Muslim Brotherhood branch in Germany.

Organizations affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood are dangerous
The intelligence report warns of another umbrella organization in Europe, the European council for fatwa and research, which was established in 1997 in Dublin, Ireland, and aims to control the fatwa for Muslims residing in Europe. Yusuf al-Qaradawi is considered the spiritual leader of the group.

“The Muslim Brotherhood is trying publicly to demonstrate openness, tolerance, and a desire to dialogue with governments and political institutions, but the group aims to replace the existing system with its own system,” the report reads.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has “monitored the sympathy of the supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood with terrorists (such as ISIS terrorists) on social media.”

The report identified the Islamic Center in Munich, the capital of the state of Bavaria, and the Islamic Group in Nuremberg, as the most important organizations operating under the banner of the Islamic Society Organization in the state.

The report accuses “the two organizations of having an institutional relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and its boards of directors and a personal relationship with the leaders of the group.”

Last August, according to the report, the Islamic Center in Munich published a document on its online platforms on “the treatment of women” which “did not include any mention or respect for German laws, and incited violence against women.”

The report also warns that Muslim Brotherhood organizations are working as institutions parallel to the institutions and programs of the state, and that they aim to train imams in order to be a substitute for the government’s program to train imams in German universities.

The Muslim Brotherhood’s Council of Imams and Scholars, which claims to be the main scientific organization for Muslims is attempting to infiltrate Islamic teaching departments at universities, the report warns.

Bavaria is the capital of the Muslim Brotherhood in Germany

At end of 2019, the number of Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Germany reached 1,200 people, 150 of whom were active in Bavaria.

The state of Bavaria is of critical importance to the Muslim Brotherhood, as their presence in Germany began in the 1950s. The Islamic Center in Munich and the mosque attached to it were the very first institutions the group established in the country.

The Muslim Brotherhood has a strong presence in Germany, through the Islamic Society Organization, and the many small organizations and mosques which are scattered throughout the country.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution has classified the Muslim Brotherhood’s institutions and leaders and leaders in Germany as threat to constitutional and democratic order.

Regarding the danger posed by terrorist groups in the country, Bavarian Minister of Interior Joachim Hermann notes in the introduction of the report: “We were able to save Germany from terrorist attacks in 2019, but given what happened in the same year in Britain and Norway France, the danger remains.”

“The Internet plays an important role in coordinating terrorist movements and linking terrorist cells together.”

“ISIS is trying to take advantage of the emerging Coronavirus pandemic, by keeping the security busy with the Pandemic, and to urge its followers to act and carry out attacks in order to destabilize Western societies,” he added.