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A Major Step by France
In a landmark decision, France has dissolved the European Institute of Human Sciences (IESH), an imam-training school accused of promoting radical Islam, legitimizing armed jihad, and maintaining close ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. The move follows months of investigations into its financial structure, teaching practices, and political affiliations.
French authorities froze the institute’s assets in June 2025 and completed its dissolution in July, marking a turning point in the country’s broader confrontation with Islamist networks.
🎭 A Dual Identity Exposed
Outwardly, the IESH presented itself as a hub for Islamic education — offering courses in Arabic, Qur’anic studies, and theology. But investigations revealed a darker reality: the institute allegedly served as a recruitment and indoctrination pipeline, training imams and youth to advance the Brotherhood’s ideological agenda.
This “dual identity” — education on the surface, political subversion underneath — is a classic Brotherhood tactic, using entryism to embed influence within schools, mosques, and community associations.
📑 France’s Report on the Muslim Brotherhood
The closure comes shortly after the publication of a French government report (May 2025) that accused the Brotherhood of:
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Infiltrating institutions (“entryism”) to shift social norms.
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Radicalizing youth through online “Preaching 2.0.”
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Undermining secularism by promoting Sharia over the French constitution.
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Exploiting democratic mechanisms to build legitimacy.
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Coordinating pan-European lobbying to influence EU policies.
The IESH was identified as one of the most important nodes in this network.
🌍 A Wider European Trend
France is not alone. Other European countries have also moved against Brotherhood-linked groups:
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Austria banned the Brotherhood in 2021 and strengthened oversight through its Documentation Centre for Political Islam.
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Germany dissolved multiple associations tied to the Brotherhood and Hamas, citing national security threats.
These steps reflect a growing European consensus: Islamist organizations exploiting democratic freedoms pose long-term risks to national cohesion and regional security.
🕌 Not Against Islam, But Against Exploitation
French officials have been careful to stress that the move is not against Islam or Muslims, but specifically against a political group exploiting religion for ideological purposes. President Emmanuel Macron has reiterated that Islam has a rightful place in France — but the Brotherhood’s manipulation of religion threatens both religious freedom and social stability.
⚖️ Why This Matters
The dissolution of the European Institute of Human Sciences is more than an administrative act. It is:
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A validation of Arab states’ long-standing warnings about the Brotherhood.
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A symbolic milestone in Europe’s response to political Islam.
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A disruption of international Brotherhood networks that use education as a cover.
By shutting down the IESH, France has taken a firm stand against ideological infiltration, while making clear that Islamic education itself remains welcome — so long as it is not politicized.
📝 Final Thoughts
The Brotherhood’s strength has always been its ability to disguise political ambition as religious or cultural activity. France’s move exposes that façade. It signals not just a national policy shift but the start of a continent-wide effort to dismantle Islamist networks that exploit religion for power.
This is not a battle against faith — it is a defense of democracy, secularism, and the integrity of religion itself.