Description: Government commissioned report has disclosed close ties between organizations linked with the Muslim Brotherhood movement which attempted to lobby ministers of the European Parliament and influence EU policy. The report ultimately published by the office of the French President Emmanuel Macron cited grave concerns through information obtained from interviews with individuals connected to the organization as well as information obtained from French intelligence services. The report immediately caused a heated debate over social media platforms mostly arising from the political opponents to the current governmental establishment. Macron has initially labeled the report as a threat to France’s secular nature of democracy, but later reports indicate that he commissioned his government to draw up proposals in order to tackle the influence of the organization and the spread of political Islamism in France and beyond.
Impact: The rise of extremist political climate in Europe is further aggravated by what appears to have become a sophisticated soft – power influence from groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood. France is facing multi – pronged and diverse threats that range from Russian hybrid attacks to the rise of the far – right populists in the country and the most recent influence operations conducted by controversial organizations such as the Muslim Brotherhood which are mainly supported by countries such as Kuwait and Qatar. French President Macron and the entire government establishment would face challenging circumstances in the short to mid – term as they navigate between France’s internal divisions, struggles and political upheaval to facing external threats such as Russia.