The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy released a detailed 200-page report alleging a decades-long effort by the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate Western institutions, including the United States, using internal documents like the “1982 Project” and the “1991 Explanatory Memorandum.” The report claims the group has moved quietly into government roles, education, and social media while leveraging Western freedoms to advance an Islamist agenda. It urges a formal terror designation and coordinated congressional action, and recent state-level moves in Texas have already echoed that call. This article lays out the report’s main findings, the reactions from officials and advocacy groups, and what proponents say should come next.
The report paints a picture of systematic entryism, tracing tactics and internal plans it says date back decades. Researchers argue the Brotherhood exploited open societies, embedding allies and influencing policy through career appointments and advisory roles. The document points to specific internal texts as a roadmap used to gain footholds inside government and civil institutions.
Investigators claim the group infiltrated or targeted U.S. agencies such as the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, using long-term career placements and advisory positions. The report links networked organizations and media strategies to a broader influence campaign aimed at shaping debate and policy. According to the authors, the effort includes reaching universities and building a substantial online presence to shape public opinion.
On the security front, the report alleges connections between the Brotherhood and militant groups and details funding streams from foreign sources like Qatar. It argues the Brotherhood and al-Qaeda share strategic goals, differing mainly in methods: one pursuing gradual political embedding and the other using violent confrontation. The report warns that gradualism allows ideology to persist while avoiding direct clashes that trigger countermeasures.
“We are now fifty years into the Brotherhood’s 100-year plan to entrench themselves into key institutions in the United States and other western societies to undermine and destroy our democracy,” Dr. Charles Asher Small, founding director of ISGAP and co-author of the report, told Fox News Digital. He says the findings lay out steps policymakers can take to push back against what he calls an ongoing, strategic threat.
“This is not simply a political movement but a transnational ideological project that adapts itself to Western systems while working to undermine them. The Brotherhood has learned to use the very freedoms of democracy as tools to erode it from within, exploiting the tolerance and openness of liberal societies as strategic vulnerabilities. This report lays out how, and what must now be done to defend our democracy. Designation as a terror organization is essential to safeguard our freedom and way of life and we must deal with the entryist damage that has already been done.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently acted on similar concerns by moving to prohibit certain organizations from acquiring land in the state, a decision framed as a defense of public safety and law. In his statement Abbott said he made the determination because “The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world.’” The governor emphasized a zero-tolerance posture toward groups he labeled a threat to state security.
“The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable. Today, I designated the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations,” Abbott added. “These radical extremists are not welcome in our state and are now prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.”
CAIR responded to its inclusion in the report by asserting a stance against violence. The group said it “consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism.” Its public reply framed the organization as committed to lawful advocacy while disputing the report’s characterization.
The report also scrutinizes elected officials, arguing that certain political figures have echoed positions the report links to Brotherhood narratives. “The election and re-election of congresswomen such as Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), who have openly defended positions aligned with Brotherhood perspectives on Israel, counterterrorism, and international relations, demonstrates the intersection of identity politics and Brotherhood narratives,” the report states. “While neither congresswoman has a documented formal affiliation with the Muslim Brotherhood, both have appeared at events organized by Brotherhood-aligned organizations, have received campaign support from Brotherhood-aligned donors, and have consistently advocated positions aligned with Brotherhood objectives.”
ISGAP urges Congress to move beyond symbolic steps, calling a terror listing useful but insufficient, and is organizing a joint declaration of scholars and policymakers to press lawmakers further. “As someone who has studied and witnessed the Brotherhood’s operations firsthand, I can say with confidence that this is not a theoretical threat,” Dalia Ziada, ISGAP Washington Coordinator, Research Fellow, and co-author of the report, told Fox News Digital. Proponents hope coordinated federal action will follow the report’s findings and recommendations.
