The Qatargate scandal is just a symptom of a much wider problem—the building of influence by Qatar and the radicalisation of Muslim communities in Europe.
The UAE was accused by a left-wing French journal of having hired a private Swiss intelligence agency to discredit opponents in Europe as part of a complex regional cold war with Qatar over support for Sunni extremism.
The repeated platforming of FEMYSO has been a thorn in the side of right-wing MEPs for years due to fears the youth organisations represent a Trojan horse for the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood.
European taxpayers have been financing the Muslim Brotherhood’s activities for years. Now, with the Parliament and Council on the same page, the Commission will not be able to ignore the calls to end this for too long.
For the researcher, the explanation for the Sorbonne’s attitude is to be found in a generalised resignation of the academic world in the face of cancel culture and Islam.
