The website of the Islamiska Forbundet I Sverige (IFIS) has announced that a meeting was held on April 16 at the Swedish Parliament which included important representatives of the European and U.S. Muslim Brotherhoods as well the Swedish government. The meeting was held under the theme “Freedom of Religion-Bridges To Understanding” and was organized jointly by the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the IFIS, and the Sveriges Muslimska Råd (Swedish Muslim Council). Reported attending were:
- Dr. Adel Falah, Kuwait Ministry of Awaqf
- Dr. Isam Al-Bashir, Director of the Wasatiya International Centre
- Dr. Jamal Badawi, Professor Halifax University Canada
- Hussein Halawa, General Secretary of the European Council for Fatwa and Research
- Chakib Bemakhlouf, FIOE President
- Mahmoud Khalfi, (IFIS)
- Helena Benouda, (SMR)
All of the above individuals are tied to the global Muslim Brotherhood. The Kuwait Ministry of Awaqf has known to have been aiding elements of the global Muslim Brotherhood. Dr. Bashir has held numerous positions associated with the global Muslim Brotherhood including being a member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and as a former Minister of Religious Affairs in the political party of Hassan Al-Turabi, formerly closely tied to the Brotherhood. He currently heads the Center for Moderation in Kuwait. Dr. Badawi is one of the most important leaders of the U.S. Brotherhood and has held important positions in Us. Brotherhood organizations such as the Islamic Society of North America and the Muslim American Society. He is also a member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, a part of FIOE which is the umbrella organization for the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. The IFIS itself is the FIOE member organization in Sweden and is close to the SMR, another part of the Swedish Muslim Brotherhood.
In addition to these individuals, the report indicated that Swedish academics and representatives of the embassies of Islamic countries were also in attendance as well as other Islamic organizations. Representing the Swedish government was Mehmet Kaplan of the Swedish Green Party. Another conference with same theme was scheduled for April 17-18, 2008 in Stockholm