Netherlands Moves to Ban Muslim Brotherhood

On March 17, the Dutch parliament passed a motion aimed at banning the Muslim Brotherhood along with similar organizations, despite pushback from opposition parties.

The proposal came from Freedom Party (PVV) Members of Parliament Michael Boone and Geert Wilders. According to reports, the motion obtained a slim majority of 76 votes after some members of opposition parties Kristen Uni and 50PLUS broke ranks. This information was highlighted by various news outlets.

The motion references a French report that warns about what it describes as “prolonged and sophisticated infiltration by the Muslim Brotherhood,” with aspirations for an Islamic state governed by Islamic law. There have been claims that the report exaggerates threats posed by the Brotherhood, but complete details were not made public.

Additionally, the motion notes that French lawmakers passed a resolution against the organization back in January. Some European conservative groups have voiced support for something similar, urging the EU to designate the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

However, opposition parties in the Netherlands pointed out that the latest threat assessment from the National Coordinator for Security and Counter-Terrorism does not list the Muslim Brotherhood as a concern, questioning the need for such a motion.

NL Times mentioned that Tidzis van den Brink, a lawmaker from the Christian Democratic Appeal Party (CDA), opposed the motion, arguing that the Muslim Brotherhood cannot be banned since it isn’t officially recognized by the intelligence agency AIVD.

Minister for Labor and Participation Thierry Aalssen expressed his belief that the motion should fail. He noted that while he perceives the group as relatively harmless to the Dutch political landscape, some of their actions are “suspect.”

Interestingly, the motion does not clarify which affiliated organizations would be affected, and it’s worth mentioning that this isn’t the first time the PVV has sought to ban the Muslim Brotherhood; previous attempts have been unsuccessful.

Historically, the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned as a terrorist group in countries like Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and Jordan followed suit in April 2025. Austria also took a step in 2021, becoming the first European nation to prohibit the group’s slogans and literature.