The Islamic Relief Worldwide Organization, one of the Brotherhood’s arms in Europe, continues to raise a lot of criticism and controversy in Germany, especially after it was revealed that it was involved in financing terrorism under the guise of charitable work. This is why there have been recently surge of calls to stop European funding and financial support for this charitable organization, in addition to opening an investigation into its links to terrorist financing due to its relationship with the Brotherhood.
In this regard, Sigrid Herrmann-Marschall, a German researcher and expert in the affairs of political Islam groups, has warned of the danger of keep providing financial support to all branches of the Islamic Relief Worldwide Organization, given its proven affiliation with the terrorist Brotherhood and the increasing accusations of terrorism and extremism against it.
The German researcher explains in an article on hpd.de, a German website, that these accusations have prompted many charitable organizations, such as the Germany’s Relief Coalition, to stop their funding for Islamic Relief in Germany, and to suspend their membership in it, in an attempt to keep a distance away from that organization in light of the increasing scandals related to its involvement in spreading terrorism, extremist ideas and hate publications as a result of its association with the Brotherhood.
Marschall points out out that the German Federal Government explicitly stated in 2019 that there were important links between the Islamic Relief Organization in Germany and the Brotherhood. In a response written by the Federal Ministry of the Interior on April 15, 2019, to a small question from the parliamentary group of the Free Democratic Party, there was talk of significant personal connections between German Islamic Relief and the Brotherhood and associated groups.
She continues that despite all these warnings and briefings, charitable associations and organizations in Germany are still providing large sums of money to organizations linked to the Brotherhood and other terrorist groups. She emphasizes the need to immediately stop this funding, accusing everyone who supports Islamic Relief of failing to understand the truth of that organization’s activities and of failure to combat the extremism it propagates.
Several press reports state that the relations between Islamic Relief and the Brotherhood have been under scrutiny recently. The German newspaper Die Welt has revealed that the branch of the Islamic Relief Organization in Germany received 712,000 euros from the European Union Commission under the pretext of financing projects in the field of relief from earthquakes and floods.
The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution (Internal Intelligence) in Berlin has confirmed in a press statement that Islamic Relief has strong personal links with organizations associated with the Brotherhood. The office notes that the Brotherhood seeks to change the political system to one that suits its vision and ideology.
In turn, Stefan Tome, the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Bloc of the Free Democratic Party, has submitted a request to the German government to place the Islamic Relief Organization under the supervision of the Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution, due to its association with the terrorist Brotherhood. This request comes a few days after the Free Democratic Party submitted an interrogation asking for clarifications from the government about the actions it had taken against Islamic Relief organization after proving that it had a relationship with the Brotherhood.
