Tel Aviv: European countries have upgraded the level of anti-terror intelligence exchange with the Israel general security service and Mossad as there are indications for an increase in terror attacks by Islamic extremists.
Iran not only coordinates and assists its proxies in the Middle East but also works to increase Islamic terrorism in Europe. And once again, the Europeans until some months ago, have reacted slowly and not really understood the magnitude of the threat, which is large and growing.
Millions of Muslims have arrived in Europe, especially in the last ten years. Several countries, mainly Germany and France, have welcomed them with open arms and deep pockets. It is true that most of those entering only want a better life than they had in their countries Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Iran. But with this refugee movement, elements related to Iran, with all its branches, have also arrived, and they are numerous and operate according to a systematic plan determined in Tehran. So the period of relative calm in Europe, in which incidents of direct or indirect Islamic terrorism were considered rare, is over.
In 2023, the number of people arrested in Europe on suspicion of planning terrorist attacks increased. Islamic propaganda, which has intensified in response to the Koran burning incidents and the renewed conflict between Israel and Hamas, contributes to increasing the probability of attacks.
In response to these trends, the Netherlands, France, Sweden, Austria, Slovenia, Belgium and other countries in the European Union have raised their terrorist threat levels. This is the right step but a little late. The extremist elements have already established themselves in the many mosques that have sprung up in some of the European countries that have opened their doors. Again, most of them are prayer facilities, but some of them serve as meeting places for extremist elements.
The Islamist terrorist organisations Al-Qaeda and the Islamic State, along with other terrorist groups originating in Tehran, are still planning and striving to carry out attacks in Europe. The activities of the security authorities in the European countries, some of which rely on cooperation with Israeli security elements, have been only partially successful. In recent weeks alone, several European countries have witnessed Islamist attacks and attempted attacks that have been thwarted.
The war that broke out on October 7 has given a boost to extremist Islamist elements in Europe, which is a cause for great concern. An organised propaganda system explains to the Islamic masses that Israel is committing war crimes in Gaza. This causes many who have only thought about attacks to carry them out, mainly as individuals. This propaganda system makes extensive use of various social networks. According to sources in Israel, this effective propaganda system is also operated by Iranians, either from Tehran or from other places around the world.
Israeli officials have no doubt that the threat of terrorism in Europe may increase further in the near future. The main risk stems from individuals who are motivated not only by traditional Islamist narratives about the persecution of Muslims, but also by the deteriorating situation in the Middle East . The problem for security forces, especially in Europe, is that individual extremists usually have no direct contact with terrorist organisations, and they do not receive financial support or training from them, and are likely to use readily available means, such as knives, cars or weapons. And here again it should be mentioned that in most European countries, the magnitude of the potential danger is not yet understood. This affects the assessments of local security forces. Israel is trying to help with intelligence information, and this cooperation has now been intensified.
A new, confidential report commissioned by the French government reveals alarming findings regarding the penetration of radical Islam into the country. According to the report, there is a “global plan” to embed the ways of radical Islam in French society through education from a young age, financial aid for the poor, and sports and educational associations
The “Muslims in France” association, which is in fact an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood movement in the country, operates 139 Muslim Brotherhood prayer and education centres, spread across 55 districts (out of 101). According to the report, at least 22 of them are at risk of “Islamic conversion,” mainly in northern France, the southern city of Marseille, and the suburbs of Paris. According to the findings, between 400 and 1,000 members of the radical core of the Muslim Brotherhood operate in France.
The report also points to Qatari and Saudi funding that has been ongoing for many years. The fear is of a scenario similar to that which occurred in Belgium, where Islamist parties competed in local and national elections, and one of them even demands the application of Sharia law (Islamic law). One of the conclusions of the French report is that the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood coming from within French society must be combated, and this is a different approach from the one that has been accepted until now, according to which it was only the influence of external factors.
A special government meeting convened on Wednesday (May 21) to discuss the conclusions of the serious report, and French Interior Minister Bruno Retaille, on whose desk the conclusions were placed a week ago, was supposed to present the main points after the meeting. However, the main points of the report were leaked last night, in an expose by the newspaper “Le Figaro”. Experts from the Interior Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the French intelligence worked on its preparation for a year, interviewing dozens of people across France. Among other things, they met with 45 university researchers and leaders in the Muslim community in France. They also heard from the directors of the “Muslims in France” association, known as close to the Muslim Brotherhood. The report was compiled by a former regional police chief and a former ambassador, whose names were not disclosed.
The report warns against what it describes as the “normalisation” of extremist practices such as wearing the hijab from a young age, encouraging life in a closed community, and more. There are at least 21 private Muslim Brotherhood schools in France, where some 4,200 students studied in 2023, and 800 centres for studying the Quran, the Arabic language, and the Muslim religion from a devout worldview. Education from a young age, the report warns, is the spearhead of the penetration of extremist Islam into France. At least 280 associations engaged in education, work with youth and children, culture, social and professional assistance have been identified as belonging to extremist Islam. The report identified Qatari funding, at least until 2019, in Strasbourg in the east of the country, Villeneuve-d’Esque and Marseille in the south, Saint-Denis in the Paris suburbs, and Lille in the north – where France stopped funding a high school that had until then served as an example of Islamic studies, after findings were made about unclear funding and the teaching of “values contrary to those of the Republic.” Saudi Arabia is also mentioned as one of the organisation’s funders, mainly in the city of Mulhouse in eastern France, where it supports the “European Institute of Social Sciences” specialising in Arabic and Quran studies. One of the conclusions of the report is that French law, which separates religion from state, is not enough to combat the phenomenon – which allows the implementation of the laws of extremist Islam among Muslims whom the associations encourage to radicalise, while they speak of “Islamophobia in French society” to explain the limits that the state is trying to set for them.
-The writer is an Israel-based freelance journalist. The views expressed are of the writer and do not necessarily reflect the views of Raksha Anirveda
