David Vance SubstackRead More
It looks like the US is about to BAN the Muslim Brotherhood and I think that we in the UK should swiftly follow! Let’s take a few minutes to understand what we are dealing with and why a complete ban on them is long overdue!
First, a potted history of the Muslim Brotherhood! It was founded in 1928 in Egypt as a transnational Sunni Islamist organisation. As such it poses a profound threat to our democracies. It has an ideology of political Islamism, which seeks to impose Sharia law and undermine secular governance. While publicly renouncing violence, its foundational texts and historical actions reveal a pattern of fostering extremism, making its proscription in the UK not just advisable but essential for national security.
Quite honestly, the UK can no longer afford complacency. Internationally, the Brotherhood’s terrorist affiliations are well-documented. It birthed Hamas and its inspired Al-Qaeda’s founders. That’s the fruits of the Brotherhood! Why are we holding back?
Banned as a terrorist entity in Egypt since 2013, it faces similar designations in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Jordan—where a May crackdown targeted its political wing amid regional strife—and Austria, Europe’s first such ban in 2021.
The US Congress reintroduced a Bill in July which urges designating it a foreign terrorist organisation, highlighting its global menace. These precedents underscore that tolerance enables radicalisation, not moderation.
In the UK, the Brotherhood operates stealthily through affiliates like the Muslim Association of Britain and Federation of Student Islamic Societies. These help infiltrate mosques, charities, and student groups to propagate anti-Western narratives. A 2015 UK government review labeled membership a “possible indicator of extremism,” noting support for Hamas and equivocal terrorism views, yet stopped short of a ban. Why? Might fear be a reason?
This very year has seen UAE sanctions on UK-based Brotherhood figures who were exposed for ongoing funding of extremism. It’s dominance in community organisations further erodes any possibility of social cohesion.
Reform UK has pledged to ban it and this reflects growing public alarm. Banning the Brotherhood would safeguard young people from radicalisation. It would also disrupt terror financing, and signal zero tolerance for ideologies incompatible with our British values.
It is time for the UK to act decisively, Let’s proscribe the Muslim Brotherhood NOW and help protect democracy and marginalise radical Islamism.
