In recent years, Qatar has made headlines around the world as a major player in global affairs despite its relatively small population. The country is known for hosting key negotiations between Israel and Hamas, as well as for providing safe havens to groups like the Taliban. However, there’s another side to Qatar’s influence that often goes unnoticed: its support of radical Islamist movements and mosques in both the Middle East and Europe.
Qatar has used its vast wealth from oil and gas reserves to transform Al Jazeera into a global media conglomerate, which spreads Muslim Brotherhood propaganda worldwide. The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a highly influential Islamist organization that seeks to return Muslims to practicing “pure Islam” as it was practiced during the time of Mohammed and the first Caliphs.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi, one of the key leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood, was sent from Egypt to Qatar in 1962 to head the Qatari Secondary Institute of Religious Studies. In 1977, he established a faculty dedicated to Shariah and Islamic Studies at the University of Qatar, later becoming the host of “Sharia and Life,” a popular show on Al Jazeera with millions of viewers.
The royal family of Qatar has used its alliance with the Muslim Brotherhood as a means of minimizing political opposition against them. In return for allowing the Brotherhood to operate from within their borders, the organization helps ensure that there are no major threats to the Qatari monarchy based on religion.
This arrangement has had significant consequences for other countries, both in the Middle East and Europe. In 2017, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Egypt, and Jordan cut ties with Qatar and imposed a blockade against the country due to its support of Islamist groups like the Muslim Brotherhood.
European countries have also suffered from Qatar’s influence, with many mosques in the continent receiving funding from the Qatar Charity for the construction of new mosques, cultural centers, and Islamic schools. One notable example is the mega-mosque in Poitiers, which sits near the site of the historic Battle of Tours and Poitiers where Charles Martel stopped an advancing Muslim army in 732.
The Council of European Muslims (formerly the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe) is a major umbrella group for Muslims in Europe and is seen as a front organization for the Muslim Brotherhood. Established in 1997, this private foundation issues fatwas for European Muslims with the intention of dictating how they should live their lives.
Yusuf al-Qaradawi presided over this influential organization until his death in 2022, operating from his headquarters in Qatar. The spread of radical Islam in Europe has been accelerating for decades, and it remains to be seen when Qatar, Al Jazeera, the Muslim Brotherhood, and other organizations will meet their “Poitiers” on European soil.
