A controversial new research project that examines the infiltration of Swedish society by the Islamist group the Muslim Brotherhood was published Friday, February 9th, at Lund University. Authored by researcher Sameh Egyptson, his doctoral thesis (the 744-page report) provides evidence that the highly influential Islamic League of Sweden is a front group for the Muslim Brotherhood operating covertly to advance Islamist goals.
A hardline international Sunni Muslim organisation with an estimated 2.5 million members, the Muslim Brotherhood has been accused of running various European front organisations to extend its power within Muslim communities and broader society.
Sweden’s most prominent Muslim association, the League’s parent organisation, the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe, has been repeatedly described by experts as an appendage of the global Muslim Brotherhood movement in operation since the 1990s.
Egyptson, himself an Egyptian-born secular academic, based his research on literature reviews, ideological similarities, evidence of entryism as well as known associations between Muslim Brotherhood figures and the League. His thesis argues that the Swedish Centre Party, in particular, has been heavily penetrated by the Muslim Brotherhood as well as the Muslim-dominated Nuance Party (Nyans) through a mixture of entryism and mobilisation of the Islamic vote.
Egyptson has previously generated controversy for books published about the Muslim Brotherhood and their links to both the Swedish state and international extremist networks.
In the past two decades, the League has earned a reputation as the representative of Swedish Muslims in the media, often mediating between police and Muslim communities during riots.
In media reports, representatives of the League have dismissed the findings as distortions, with Egyptson alleging that the League’s Stockholm Mosque is an effective regional headquarters for the Muslim Brotherhood.
In the report, Egyptson references the “European strategy of 1995” promulgated by Muslim Brotherhood leaders to moderate rhetoric in the pursuit of political power and the long-term Islamisation of Swedish society by demographic and cultural shifts. The strategy details how Muslim Brotherhood leaders utilise civil society groups and outwardly moderate their agenda to create an enclave for the Muslim community against liberal society in preparation for an Islamic takeover.
The ultimate goals are not abandoned, just postponed in waiting for a change of the minority position, when Muslims have expanded “demographically” through both da’wah (conversion) and reproduction and have achieved majority status. This means that the suggested participation in the political system should be undertaken without abandoning the fundamental Islamic values and the ultimate vision of an Islamic order where sharia rules
Egyptson concludes that the Swedish state must cut off any funding to the League or adjacent Muslim Brotherhood organisation, stating that for years authorities “had willingly and faithfully afforded economic contributions to the religious, educational, and cultural activities of the network.”
Speaking to The European Conservative, Egyptson stated that he hopes his research can now be used by both academia and the media to open the way for genuine religious dialogue and that he is living in fear for his life because of his work.
Lund University had increased security in preparation for Egyptson’s thesis defence on Friday, expecting large attendance at the event, including persons pointed out in the thesis as representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood.
