The Telegraph in the UK has reported that the UK government is expected to order what is described as a “crackdown” on Muslim Brotherhood networks in the UK. According to the report, Istanbul and Qatar are two other major bases for the Global Muslim Brotherhood:
October 19, 2014 Downing Street is to order a crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood and a network of Islamist groups accused of fuelling extremism in Britain and across the Arab world.
David Cameron launched an inquiry into the Brotherhood earlier this year, prompted by concerns it was stoking an Islamist ideology that had encouraged British jihadists to fight in Syria and Iraq.
Sir Richard Dearlove, the former head of MI6, who is an adviser to the review, is reported to have described it as ‘at heart a terrorist organisation’. The Brotherhood insists it is non-violent and seeks to impose Islamic rule only through democratic change. It has condemned Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (Isil) and al-Qaeda.
A senior source close to the inquiry said its report – compiled but not yet published – had identified ‘an incredibly complex web’ of up to 60 organisations in Britain, including charities, think tanks and even television channels, with links to the Muslim Brotherhood, which will all now come under scrutiny.
The inquiry, aided by the security services, has also investigated its network abroad. One expert said that the Brotherhood was now operating from three major bases – London, Istanbul and Doha, the capital of Qatar.
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In September, the GMBDW reported on another Telegraph story indicating that Britain was planning unspecified curbs on what were described as “Muslim Brotherhood-linked organisations” and blocking any Brotherhood “activists” from relocating to the UK.
The GMBDW initially reported on the UK investigation in April. Since that time we reported in August that the investigation has concluded that the Muslim Brotherhood “does not pose a significant terror threat in the UK” as well as reporting that a leader of the “International Organization of the Muslim Brotherhood” has said that he expects the UK government not to given to what he describes as pressure to label the Brotherhood a terrorist organization. We continue to await the actual public report on the investigation before drawing any solid conclusions.
We also point out our continued reporting that Qatar is a major sponsor of the Global Muslim Brotherhood networks though its official and quasi-official organizations such as Qatar Charity, the Qatar Faculty of Islamic Studies, and the Qatar Foundation. Global Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshaal are also hosted and resident in Qatar which itself is a major funder of Hamas. The GMBDW reported in August that the Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH), a Turkish group close to the Global Muslim Brotherhood, has signed a ‘strategic cooperation agreement’ with Qatar. Also in August, we reported that Qatar Charity had sponsored an conference in Istanbul at which GMB leaders announced a $1 billion fundraising campaign for Gaza and the launch of a new organization appearing to unify Hamas fundraising and flotilla efforts.