Report of Israeli Think-Tank on the Global Muslim Brotherhood

parties. That Turkey and its government have become partners <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim
Brotherhood has implications for both Turkey and its Western allies, including
NATO. Until recently, Turkey has been a vital lynchpin <strong>of</strong> the West as a whole and <strong>of</strong>
NATO in particular. However, the Muslim Brotherhood and its affiliates are strongly
anti-Western. This clearly emerges from Qaradawi’s own rhetoric, with his repeated
references to the goal <strong>of</strong> Islamic domination <strong>of</strong> Europe. The IHH president, Bulent
Yildirim, sees the Islamic world in direct conflict with the West, as well as with Russia,
China, and India. How Turkey can maintain its traditional role as a Western ally while
its political leadership is tying it to some <strong>of</strong> the most virulent anti-Western forces
remains a difficult question.
Moreover, the historical precedents for partnerships <strong>of</strong> Middle Eastern governments with
the Muslim Brotherhood are troubling for another reason. When Muslim Brotherhood
ideologue Hassan Turabi was ruling the Sudan in the 1990s, the country became a haven
for terrorists <strong>of</strong> all kinds including Osama bin Laden, who based his operation there
until 1996. While Turkey has not yet progressed to this point, its support for a Hamas/
Muslim Brotherhood-related propaganda effort is not encouraging, and terrorism is
not the only concern. Under the AKP government, Turkey has shown increasing signs
<strong>of</strong> Islamization, a primary goal <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood. With Saudi Arabia
struggling to control its own export <strong>of</strong> Islamic fundamentalism and extremism, the
possibility exists that Turkey could become another center for exporting such activities.
Also, as a growing economic power, Turkey is in a position to become a financial
supporter <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood as well as providing a sanctuary for its
anti-Western political activities.
6. How Could the Role <strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood
Be So Overlooked
The Global Muslim Brotherhood and its Turkish allies were able to play a major role in
both the Gaza flotilla and in years <strong>of</strong> prior anti-Israel activity without this role being
reported by the global media or other sources <strong>of</strong> public information. On the contrary,
there does not appear to have been awareness in any quarter that the Global Muslim
Brotherhood was active inside Turkey. Moreover, in recent years there has been a
troubling trend in the West to present the Muslim Brotherhood as a more moderate
Islamist alternative to al-Qaeda, without considering its true ideology and intentions.
Since its early days in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood operated overtly as a social and
religious organization engaged in charitable enterprises, but at the same time it had a
covert side known as the “Secret Apparatus” that trained cadres in the use <strong>of</strong> weaponry
and engaged in political assassination. This duality continues to the present day. This
speaks well <strong>of</strong> the efforts by the Global Muslim Brotherhood to obscure both its nature
and its activities, while casting doubt on the ability <strong>of</strong> the media or others to monitor
and report on this activity. Israel, being perhaps the major current target <strong>of</strong> the Global
Muslim Brotherhood, would be well advised to enhance its efforts to track the activities
<strong>of</strong> the Global Muslim Brotherhood in both Turkey and other countries in the region.
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