Radicalism in Europe

The Islamic movements, especially the Muslim Brotherhood, are present in the European continent, particularly in France, Britain and Germany in the west of the continent. However, the Brotherhood's presence is somewhat rare in Eastern European countries such as Poland and Ukraine, in addition to the Balkan countries due to the political, social and religious context that these countries are distinguished with.

An unusual activity has been noticed by the Islamist groups in Eastern Europe, especially the Balkans, such as Albania as well as Bosnia and Herzegovina, driven by the strong relations between Turkey and Eastern European Muslims. However, the radical Islamic presence in major Eastern European countries such as Poland is still uncertain.

Radical groups are always looking for safe havens in their European countries, providing opportunities and possibilities to move easily without pursuing the security services. They also use their presence in Europe to recruit more elements and raise funds to fund their activities.  

Reserve centers

The radical groups are active in world countries between main centers and reserve centers. The main centers are exploited in the recruitment and fundraising operations, and they will also be exploited as political platforms in which Arab and Islamic countries are targeted and destabilized. For example, the Muslim Brotherhood takes Britain as its headquarters for launching activities hostile to the Egyptian state.

Reserve centers are the countries exploited by radical groups to achieve proliferation. However, their impact is relatively limited and temporary. These groups first penetrate the societies of these countries and then influence their policies at a later stage. Radical groups may exploit the centers in the event that pressure on them continues in their core positions.

The Eastern European countries have become the platforms and alternative centers for radical, extremist groups. Under the umbrella of the democratic transformation process that these countries have witnessed since the fall of the Soviet Union, radical currents have succeeded in infiltrating into and spreading in these countries and creating radical foci in them, especially in Warsaw and several capitals of East Europe.

Unknown minority

At the end of the Cold War, a new term appeared in the studies of Islamic movements, called "forgotten Muslims". It reflected the situation of the Islamic communities that lived under the shadow of the Eastern bloc countries such as the Soviet Union, Yugoslavia and Poland. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the radical groups re-discovered the Muslim map in these countries and found it a suitable opportunity to create new generations of radicals from the people of those countries, which is what we touch in the phenomenon of Chechen fighters and foreigners in Daesh.

Poland is characterized by a special status, given the condition of Muslims which are described as the “unknown minority”. This is because of the relative scarcity of Muslims in its population, where Muslims make up about 1 percent of the total population. However, some estimate the number of Muslims to stand at about 7 percent. The spread of Islam in Poland dates back to the fourteenth century when some Tatar tribes migrated to Warsaw and some Polish cities. During the last period, especially after the collapse of the socialist system, Muslim immigrants came to Poland to join the Polish Muslim community.

Polish Muslims of Tatar origin succeeded in achieving full integration and coexistence in the Polish society. They had many associations and institutions that expressed their life and religious affairs, such as the Islamic Religious Association (MZR). However, some migrant Muslims to Poland were less integrated into the society. They were trapped in an intellectual framework isolated from citizenship and co-existence, and more saturated with the writings of Islamic movements, such as the writings of Sayyed Qutb and Abu Ala al-Mawdudi.

Infiltration of radical Islamism

Since the end of the Cold War, the radical Islamic movement has spared no effort in exporting its principles and ideas to the Polish interior; in order to find a new foothold in Eastern Europe. It may be a future nucleus for disseminating its ideas in Eastern Europe and Russia. To achieve that, the movement followed several tactics, including:

Employing German Salafism: Germany is one of the most important European countries to embrace radical Salafist ideology and has a relatively unique geographic location between Eastern and Western Europe. This has made it eligible for the export of radical thought in Europe, particularly Eastern Europe and Poland.

Establishing radical organizations: The elements affiliated to the Muslim Brotherhood in Poland succeeded in establishing three organizations that undertake the responsibility of spreading the Muslim Brotherhood ideology in Poland. In 1986, the Muslim Students Association (SSM) was established. In 1996, the Islamic Society for Education and Culture (MSKK) was established. The Association of Muslim Students (SSM) was formed. In 2001, the Polish Islamic League, the main transit point for the Polish radical movement, was established, as confirmed by the Polish Internal Security Agency (ABW). The Islamic League is affiliated with the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE).

Drawing a false picture:

The Muslim-Polish Association of the Muslim Brotherhood is exploiting mosques and cultural centers to spread its extremist ideology, but is trying not to draw attention to it by creating a false image by participating in interfaith and Islamic integration forums in Europe.

Translating the books of Sayyed Qutb: The Association of Muslim Students introduced the writings of Sayyed Qutb and Abu Ali al-Maududi to Poland through translating and disseminating them among Polish Muslims.

Political Participation: The Muslim League seeks to be politically oriented in Poland. The President of the Association, Samir Ismail, called on its supporters to participate politically in the elections, in order to be a political player of great weight in the Polish political life.

Constant promotion of the Muslim Brotherhood: The supporters of the Muslim Brotherhood do not skip a chance to promote the Muslim Brotherhood group and its branches in Poland. For example, the expert on Arab and Islamic studies at the University of Warsaw, Bogusław R. Zagórski, called on the Muslims of Poland to join the Muslim Brotherhood. Moreover, head of the Muslim association, Samir Ismail, is promoting the Brotherhood’s ideology through the writing of his articles, but his articles always cause a hornet’s nest in the Polish public opinion, especially when he published an article urging carrying out female genital mutilation operations.

Polish concerns

Finally, over the years, the Polish people have sensed the danger of radical, extremist groups, such as the Muslim Brotherhood and other terrorist organizations. So, many demonstrations were organized in January 2016 to denounce the existence of the Muslim Brotherhood in Poland.

A great crack

The infiltration of the radical movement into Poland in the mid-1990s caused a great rift among Muslims, including Tertian Muslims and immigrant Muslims. Tertian Muslims do not believe the writings of Sayyed Qutb and other Islamic writers. A key part of Tertian Muslims belongs to Shi’ite sects unlike the immigrant Muslims, the majority of who belongs to the Salafist sect.

The sectarian differences between Polish Muslims have led to clashes between the two sides. In July 2017, the two sides clashed in the vicinity of a mosque on Wiertnicza Street, in order to control it. The MZR-based religious association (MZR) controls most mosques. That is rejected by Polish radicals in an attempt to control the Polish mosques and management. About 30 mosques are currently spread in Poland.