THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD’S GLOBAL THREAT
HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY OF THE COMMITTEE ON OVERSIGHT AND GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED FIFTEENTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION JULY 11, 2018 Serial No. 115–90 Printed for the use of the Committee on Oversight and Government ReformSee FBI report here.
Al-Qaeda explicitly aims to destroy America and has executed numerous terrorist attacks against U.S. civilian and military targets with this goal in mind. The Muslim Brotherhood is a separate, complex transnational organization with a different, albeit controversial, ideology and strategy that some analysts and a 1991 internal document suggest includes a long-term goal of "eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within" through a "civilization, Jihadist process".
Al-Qaeda's Stated Goals and Actions
- Explicit Intent: Al-Qaeda, a U.S.-designated terrorist organization, has openly declared its intent to kill Americans, including civilians and military personnel, anywhere in the world.
- Major Attacks: The group has been responsible for major attacks targeting the U.S., including the 1998 U.S. embassy bombings, the USS Cole bombing, and the September 11 attacks.
The Muslim Brotherhood's Ideology and Strategy
- Separation from Al-Qaeda: While some individuals who were once part of the Muslim Brotherhood went on to form or join more radical, violent groups like Al-Qaeda and ISIS, the organizations themselves are considered distinct with different approaches.
- "Civilization Jihad": According to a 1991 internal memorandum submitted as evidence in a U.S. federal trial, the Muslim Brotherhood's work in America is described as a "grand jihad in eliminating and destroying the Western civilization from within and sabotaging its miserable house by their hands".
- Political and Social Infiltration: The Brotherhood's strategy, sometimes referred to as "stealth jihad" by critics, is described as a gradual, non-violent process of saturation through media, universities, and political organizations to ultimately establish an Islamic state.
- Official Designations: The Muslim Brotherhood has been designated a terrorist organization by several countries including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE. The U.S. has designated specific affiliates (e.g., Hamas, an offshoot of the Brotherhood) as terrorist groups, and attempts have been made in the U.S. Congress to designate the entire global organization as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO), but this has been a subject of significant policy debate.
In summary, Al-Qaeda explicitly pursues the destruction of the U.S. through violence, while the Muslim Brotherhood employs a long-term, non-violent, "civilization jihad" strategy to transform Western society from within, a goal that critics argue amounts to the same outcome.
