Belgium has become an important center for the global Muslim Brotherhood

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The Muslim Brotherhood in Belgium

April 14, 2008

Steve Merley, Senior Analyst

The NEFA Foundation

[Belgium has become an important center for the global Muslim

Brotherhood in Europe. Since its origins in early student organizations,

the Belgian Brotherhood network has grown to include Hamas support

infrastructure and local Islamic groups that in turn are part of the

Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), the global Muslim

Brotherhood umbrella group in Europe. Belgium also serves as the FIOE

national office. One individual, Bassem Hatahet, appears to be the most

important figure in the Belgian Muslim Brotherhood.]


Background

The Global Muslim Brotherhood has been present in Europe since 1960 when Said

Ramadan, the grandson of Hassan Al-Banna, founded a mosque in Munich.1 Since that time,

Brotherhood organizations have been established in almost all of the EU countries, as well as

non-EU countries such as Russia and Turkey. Despite operating under other names, some of

the organizations in the larger countries are recognized as part of the global Muslim

Brotherhood. For example, the Union des Organizations Islamiques de France (UOIF) is

generally regarded as part of the Muslim Brotherhood in France. The network is also

becoming known in some of the smaller countries such as the Netherlands, where a recent

NEFA Foundation report detailed the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood in that country.2

Neighboring Belgium has also become an important center for the Muslim Brotherhood in

Europe. A 2002 report by the Intelligence Committee of the Belgian Parliament explained

how the Brotherhood operates in Belgium:


“The State Security Service has been following the activities of the International

Muslim Brotherhood in Belgium since 1982. The International Muslim

Brotherhood has had a clandestine structure for nearly 20 years. The identity

of the members is secret; they operate in the greatest discretion. They seek to

spread their ideology within the Islamic community of Belgium and they aim

in particular at the young people of the second and third generation of

immigrants. In Belgium as in other European countries, they try to take control

of the religious, social, and sports associations and establish themselves as

privileged interlocutors of the national authorities in order to manage Islamic

affairs. The Muslim Brotherhood assumes that the national authorities will be

pressed more and more to select Muslim leaders for such management and,

in this context, they try to insert within the representative bodies, individuals

influenced by their ideology. With this purpose, they were very actively

1 Ian Johnson, “How a Mosque for Ex-Nazis Became Center of Radical Islam,” The Wall Street

Journal, July 12, 2005.

2 Ron Sandee, “The Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Netherlands,” The NEFA

Foundation, December 2007.

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involved in the electoral process to carry out the election of the members of

the chief body for the management of Islam in Belgium. Another aspect of

this strategy is to cause or maintain tensions by positing that a Muslim or

Islamic association is a victim of Western values, hence the affair over the

Muslim headscarf in public schools.“3 4


Three factors have contributed to this development in Belgium. First, high

concentrations of Arabic-speaking, immigrant populations are a natural support base for the

Muslim Brotherhood and Belgium has such a large and concentrated Islamic population,

estimated at about 400,000, which is about 4% of the total population.5 The majority of these

are Arabs, mainly Moroccans who have settled mostly in Brussels and the French-speaking

areas of the South with about half living in the Brussels conurbation. This has brought the

percentage of Muslims in Brussels to approximately 17%.6 Second, the presence of important

EU institutions in Brussels is a logical attractor for any Muslim organization with aspirations for

achieving legitimacy at the Europe-wide level. Finally, the Belgian government is the only

European government not to have acted against the local branch of a Hamas fund-raising

organization, discussed later in this report, with strong ties to the Brotherhood, allowing it to

operate freely while branches in other countries were shut down or restricted.

In addition to these factors, the Belgian government appears to have created a power

vacuum in the Muslim community by ending its relationship with the Saudi-sponsored Islamic

Cultural Center of Brussels (ICCB). Founded in 1969, the ICCB is chaired by the Saudi

Ambassador and receives most of its funding from the Saudi Muslim World League. Until

1990, the ICCB had been treated by the Belgian government as the official representative of

the Muslim Community in Belgian and allowed it to recommend imams and teachers who

were then appointed by the government. However, opposition to the ICCB from the local

Muslim community forced an end to its role, and in 1994, the government appointed a

committee of 17 Muslims called "De Belgische Moslim Executieve" in Dutch or "L'Exécutif des

musulmans de Belgique" in French.7 The newly created organization took over the role of the

ICCB in appointing teachers and imams and served as the basis for an election at the end of

1998 that created the Representative Council of the Belgian Muslim Communities, the

officially recognized organization of Muslims in Belgium.8 Although participants in these

organizations were vetted by the Belgian government to weed out extremists, the jockeying

for power that took place attracted the interest of the Muslim Brotherhood, which may have

created organizations in order to further its legitimacy.


The environment resulting from these factors fostered the creation of a set of

interrelated institutions that constitute the Muslim Brotherhood in Belgium today. The

remainder of this report will examine these institutions, paying special attention to their

structure, leadership, and public activities. It is important to note that almost none of the

organizations or individuals that are part of the global Muslim Brotherhood identify

3 Sénat et Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Session De 2001-2002, Rapport d'activité

2001 du Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignements et de sécurité, 19 Juillet

2002,

http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=33618007&LANG=fr.

4 http://www.comiteri.be/rapports/rapport2001def_nl.pdf.

5 “Islam & Muslims in Europe,” euro-islam.info/pages/belgium.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

6 http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/en_35_bs4en.pdf

7 “Islam in the Benelux Countries” in Shireen T. Hunter (ed.), Islam, Europe's Second Religion: The

New Social, Cultural, and Political Landscape.

8 Lionel Panafit, “First for Islam in Belgium,” Le Monde Diplomatique, June 2000.

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themselves as such and no doubt, if asked, would deny any such connection. It is therefore

necessary to establish such a connection to the Muslim Brotherhood through analysis of

factors that include the history, affiliations, ideology, and backgrounds of the organizations

under question and their leaders. It should further be noted that this kind of structural analysis

is, by nature, limited and can only reveal the public structure of a Muslim Brotherhood

network. As the Belgian parliamentary report explained, the global Muslim Brotherhood

operates clandestinely and these clandestine structures are not normally accessible through

examination of the public record. In the U.S., for example, previously secret documents have

recently come to light that revealed an extensive and covert Muslim Brotherhood

infrastructure in that country.9 Nevertheless, public information can provide a great deal of

useful information about Brotherhood structures, leadership, and activities and can point the

way for investigators with access to non-public information.


Early Student Organizations

Muslim Brotherhood networks often began as student and/or youth organizations

and Belgium was no exception. The earliest known Muslim Brotherhood organization was

the Association Humanitaire pour la Promotion de la Jeunesse (AHPJ).10 Founded in May

1988, the AHPJ was identified as one of a number of Muslim Brotherhood organizations

operating under other names by a July 2002 report of the Belgian parliamentary Intelligence

Committee.11 Bassem Hatahet, later to become one of the most important individuals in the

Belgian Muslim Brotherhood network, was elected as the Secretary of the AHPJ in January

1991, serving in that position until November 1996.12 13 This report also says that the AHPJ

was also operating under the name Union Islamique des Etudiants et de la Jeunesse en

Belgique (UIEJB), which Belgian records show was founded in April 1995 and dissolved in

February 2000.14 15 In February 1999, Bassem Hatahet attended a conference in Kuwait

where he was described as being affiliated with the Islamic Students Union in Belgium, likely

the UIEJB.16

The Belgian parliamentary report describes the student organizations as:

“...also close to the Turkish movement ‘Milli Gorüs’. These associations publish

a newspaper which propagates anti-Western ideas and anti-Zionists. They

actively supported the Muslim cause in Afghanistan by the collection of funds

and the exchanges were made with the ‘Office of Afghan Mujahideen in

Brussels’. They organize camps where immigrants of second and third

generations are indoctrinated.”


9 Douglas Farah, Ron Sandee, and Josh Lefkowitz, “The Muslim Brotherhood in the United States:

A Brief History,” The NEFA Foundation, October 26, 2007.

10 Résultat recherche Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE) et Registre du Commerce

http://kbo-bce-ps.mineco.fgov.be/ps/kbo_ps/kbo_search.jsp?VO=19F1B415.

11 Sénat et Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Session De 2001-2002, Rapport d'activité

2001 du Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignements et de sécurité, 19 Juillet

2002,

http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=33618007&LANG=fr.

12 Association humanitaire pour la Promotion de la Jeunesse "Transfert du Siege Social

Modifications Aus Statuts Conseil D’Administration”, published December 12, 1991.

13 Association humanitaire pour la Promotion de la Jeunesse “Nominations-Exclusions Transfert

Du Siege Social”, published November 28, 1996.

14 Résultat recherche Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE) et Registre du Commerce

http://kbo-bce-ps.mineco.fgov.be/ps/kbo_ps/kbo_search.jsp?VO=1B4AB0F5.

15 Résultat recherche Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE) et Registre du Commerce

http://kbo-bce-ps.mineco.fgov.be/ps/kbo_ps/kbo_search.jsp?VO=1B4AB0F1.

16 “Students Discuss Ways to Secure Detainees' Freedom,” Kuwait Times, February 24, 1999.

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Both the student organizations were registered at Brussels

addresses belonging to the charity Islamic Relief. A 1989 statement

in a leaflet attributed to the L'Association des étudiants

musulmans”, likely the above organization, is an early hint of the

modus operandi of the Muslim Brotherhood described in the

Belgian parliamentary report:

“This document concerns you, young immigrant. Today it’s

the headscarf, tomorrow forbidden to speak Arabic in

schools? Its time to act so that the authorities know we are

not toys.”17 Islamic Relief

A Hamas Support Network in Verviers

Founding of Al-Aqsa Belgium


The next Belgian Muslim Brotherhood organization to be created was the Belgian

branch of the Al-Aqsa Foundation, founded in September 1993, and called Al-Aqsa

Humanitaire.18 Al-Aqsa Belgium was, in turn, the Belgian branch of the parent organization

which had been established in Germany as the Al-Aqsa e.V in July 1991. Another Al-Aqsa

branch had been established in the Netherlands one month before the Belgian branch, and

all three organizations shared the same director, as well as having other board members in

common.19 The declared purposes of Al-Aqsa Belgium included a series of humanitarian

activities on behalf of Palestinians inside and outside Belgium, including support of orphans,

formation of institutions in Palestine, and aiding other NGOs “who come to the assistance of

the Palestinian people.”


Al-Aqsa Belgium was first registered in Verviers, an economically distressed

municipality of approximately 52,000 residents located in the Belgian province of Liège and

close to the cities of Aachen, Germany and Heerlen, the Netherlands where the Al-Aqsa

branches in those countries were first registered.20 The registration address is a small

commercial/residential building in the Hodimont area of Verviers, a former working-class

neighborhood that has become largely Islamic in character. The original signatories to the Al-

Aqsa Belgium registration and their self-provided occupations were Mahmoud Amr (political

scientist, journalist), Mohamed M. El Hajjaj (independent entrepreneur), Nimeh Amro

(cleaning lady), Bassem Hatahet (businessman), Abdallah Larhouasli (elementary

schoolteacher), Mostafa M. Busif (technician), and Ali Sonlu (technician).

17 Translated version of web.archive.org/web/20070612023207/users.skynet.be/suffrageuniversel/

be/bemimu001.htm at

http://translate.google.com/translate?u=http://web.archive.org/web/20070612023207/users.sky

net.be/suffrage-universel/be/bemimu001.htm.

18 Belgian registration document, September 23, 1993.

19 Ron Sandee, “The Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Netherlands,” The NEFA

Foundation, December 2007.

20 Belgian registration document, September 23, 1993.

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Mahmoud Amr Mahmoud Amr is a Jordanian who was

the former Chairman of the Al-Aqsa Foundation head office in

Aachen, Germany, as well as the former Chairman of the

Netherlands Al-Aqsa branch, now headed by Ali Sonlu. At the

time Al-Aqsa Belgium was created, Mr. Amr listed his profession

as “student,” and a telephone number of his belonged jointly to

an Arab student association in Aachen, as well as to a Belgian

students organization.21 22 A 1993 interrogation of Hamas

operatives in Israel revealed that Mr. Amr was considered by them Mahmoud Amr

to be a “senior Hamas figure in Germany” who could be contacted through the Muslim

Brotherhood center.23 The Thüringen State intelligence agency also reported that Mahmoud

Amr maintained “close relations” with the German Muslim Brotherhood organization.24 The

interrogation additionally revealed that Mr. Amr was in touch with both the Hamas

leadership in Germany, as well as Hamas elements in Jordan. Nimeh Amro, who listed her

address as the same as Mr. Amr’s, is probably a relative and was also one of the founders of

Al-Aqsa Netherlands.


Mohamed El Hajjaji is a Moroccan-born Belgian citizen who has been living in

Verviers since at least 1993 where business records list inactive water/sewer construction and

restaurant businesses in his name.25 A Danish research institute as well as the Belgian security

services link Mostafa Busif to the Algerian GIA. 26

Early Activities on Behalf of Hamas


There is no public record of the early activities of Al-Aqsa Belgium but although the

declared purposes of the organization were humanitarian, by the mid 1990s evidence was

appearing that the Al-Aqsa Foundation as a whole was actually functioning as part of the

Hamas support infrastructure in Europe. In 1998, the German domestic security agency

reported that Al-Aqsa Germany “by means of donations for humanitarian aid in Palestine,

indirectly but effectively supports the aims of Hamas." 27 28 29


In 2001, all three branches of the Al-Aqsa Foundation, including Al-Aqsa Belgium,

were listed as founding organizations of the Union of Good, a worldwide collection of

charities under the direction of global Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Youssef

Qaradawi.30 The list of Union of Good Trustees includes many prominent members of both

21 Belgian registration document, September 23, 1993.

22 RWTH Aachen - Humboldt-Haus-INCAS.

http://www.rwthaachen.

de/aw/main/deutsch/Themen/Einrichtungen/Verwaltung/dezernat/humboldthaus/~

hnv/incas/?Vereine.html= (accessed June 2005, no longer available)

23 “A German Court Upholds a Government Decision to Outlaw the German office of the Al-Aqsa

Charitable Foundation,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special

Studies, December 2004.

24 http://www.thueringen.de/de/publikationen/pic/pubdownload415.pdf.

25 Worldbase , August 14, 2005, EL HAJJAJI MOHAMED and Worldbase, April 11, 2007,

EL HAJJAJI MOHAMMED.

26 http://www.flwi.ugent.be/cie/documenten/jihad-dk.pdf.

27 “Palestinian Charity in UK under Attack,” Financial Times, March 13, 1996

28 The Haifa District Court P 000272/03, Before his honour Court President Lindestraum, Date:

12/01/2005 and Judges Y. Dar and A. Schiff.

29 Udo Ulfkotte, “Are Charitable Organizations in Germany Funding Terrorism?”, from

www.faz.com, October 1, 2001.

30 “Implementing Organizations,”

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Hamas and the global Muslim Brotherhood.31 In many European countries, the Union of

Good affiliate has connections to the local Muslim Brotherhood.32 Although the Union of

Good, formerly known as the 101 Days Campaign, describes itself as a humanitarian

charitable organization, it has been described differently by an Israeli intelligence website:

“The Union of Good is composed of a combination of Hamas-affiliated,

designated extremist Islamic funds and foundations around the world. Most of

the money it transfers to the PA-administered territories eventually reaches

Hamas-affiliated institutions, helping Hamas establish itself as a potential

alternative to the Palestinian Authority and maintain a large-scale

infrastructure supporting terrorism, including suicide bombing attacks, as

clearly illustrated by original documents found by Israeli security forces.”33

In addition to its membership in the Union of Good, Al-Aqsa Foundation Chairman

Mahmoud Amr was listed as the registered contact for the 101 Days website, using

Mohamed El Hajjaji’s home as the registered address.34

Pressure Builds


Following the events of September 11, 2001, the Al-Aqsa Foundation’s head office

was coming under pressure in Germany over its connections to Hamas. In October 2001, the

Interior Minister for the German state of North-Rhine Westphalia said that Al-Aqsa was

known to be collecting funds on behalf of Hamas and warned the public against making

donations.35 Around the same time, Mahmoud Amr was called a “Hamas functionary” by a

State intelligence agency. In August 2002, the German government shut down Al-Aqsa in

Germany, seizing money and documents during searches of the group’s offices.36 Also at that

time, the German Interior Minister said that Al-Aqsa raised money for suicide bombers and

their families in Israel, and that it transferred funds to social and humanitarian organizations in

the Palestinian territories that were connected to Hamas. German authorities reported

telephone calls in which a Hamas “cadre” was requesting assistance from Mahmoud Amr

following suicide bombings in Israel, as well as “numerous contacts” between Mr. Amr and

presumed Hamas functionaries.37


Pressure on Al-Aqsa was also building in the Netherlands, where the general

intelligence and security intelligence service had reported in 2001 that Al-Aqsa Netherlands,

now chaired by Al-Aqsa Belgium founder Ali Sonlu, had been collecting money for Hamas

http://web.archive.org/web/20010811052333/http://www.interpal.org/web/organisations.htm.

عوضوم يا - ريخلا فالتئا 31

http://www.101days.org/arabic/modules.php?name=somnaa.

32 Ron Sandee, “The Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Netherlands,” The NEFA

Foundation, December 2007.

33 “The Union of Good,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special

Studies, February 2005.

34 “Whois Record for 101days.org,” whois.domaintools.com/101days.org.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

35 wdr.de - "Al-Aqsa": Unterstützt Aachener Verein die Hamas?:

http://online.wdr.de/online/news2/spenden_al_aqsa/index.phtml.

36 “German Interior Minister Outlaws Arabic Charity Believed to Support to Hamas” [sic],

Associated Press, August 5, 2002.

37 “Bundesinnenministerium legt neues Material gegen Al-Aqsa vor” Agence France Presse –

German Dienstag, 27. Juli 2004.

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since 1993.38 On April 9, 2003, the Ministry of Interior announced a freeze on all financial

activities and assets of Al-Aqsa Netherlands stating that the organization was collecting

money for Hamas and/or organizations related to Hamas that support or develop terrorist

activities.39 In May 2003, the U.S and British governments designated the Al-Aqsa Foundation,

including both the Dutch and Belgian branches, as a terrorist organization and initiated

action to freeze the organization’s funds.40 In its official statement, the U.S Treasury

Department cited action in Germany, Denmark, and the Netherlands as a basis for its

decision.41 Also cited was the arrest of the head of the Yemeni office of Al-Aqsa, accused of

providing support for both Hamas and Al-Qaida and of having close relations with the

German office. The U.S. described Mr. Amr at the time as “an active figure in Hamas.”

During the same time in which various governments were acting against the Al-Aqsa

Foundation, the Israeli government released a series of documents detailing connections

between the Foundation and Hamas, many of which implicated Al-Aqsa Belgium in the

support of Hamas. Several of these documents also implicate the U.K. charity known as

Interpal, whose chairman Abdul Rahaman Daya was one of the founders of Al-Aqsa

Netherlands.42 43 This information indicates that the Al-Aqsa Foundation was part of a global

network of charities that provided Hamas with between $10-15 million yearly. These

documents, along with other evidence implicating Al-Aqsa Belgium, include:

• Documents from 2003 reveal correspondence between INTERPAL and

Hamas in the Palestinian town of Jenin. In the correspondence, Hamas

thanked Interpal for 12,000 pounds sterling, 4,000 of which came from an

Al Aqsa fund in Belgium.

• In 2003, an Israeli court document reported that members of the Hamas

movement in Israel had been in regular and continuous contact with

activists in Interpal, Al Aqsa, the Union of the Good, and the World

Assembly of Moslem Youth in order to help these organizations transfer

funds to it’s accounts In Israel and the Territories. This contact included

telephone conversations, and correspondence via facsimile, mail and email.

The “activists” identified included Mahmoud Amru and Mahmoud

Hejazi (likely Mohamed M. El Hajjaji.) 44

• At the end of December 2003, a Belgian national identified as Said

Maduhi, was arrested as he attempted to enter the Gaza strip in the

company of a twelve-member delegation including Belgians as well as

38 “MIDDEN-OOSTEN Duitsland verbiedt islamitische al-Aqsa beweging (Samenvatting)”

Algemeen Nederlands Persbureau ANP August 5, 2002

39 MinBZK.nl (uk) - Al-Aqsa balances frozen following AIVD investigation:

http://www.minbzk.nl/uk/public_safety/press_releases/al_aqsa_balances.

40 “US, UK Designate Islamic Charity As Terrorist Organization,” Wall Street Journal, May 30,

2003.

41 “Treasury Designates Al-Aqsa International Foundation as Financier of Terror,” U.S. Treasury

Department Press Release, May 29, 2003.

42 Ron Sandee, “The Influence of the Muslim Brotherhood in the Netherlands,” The NEFA

Foundation, December 2007.

43 British Muslims Monthly Survey, March 1996, Vol. IV, No. 3.

http://artsweb.bham.ac.uk/bmms/1996/03March96.html.

44 The Haifa District Court P 000272/03, Before his honour Court President Lindestraum, Date:

12/01/2005 and Judges Y. Dar and A. Schiff.

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other nationalities. Mr. Maduhi acknowledged meeting with members of

Hamas-affiliated charitable institutions in the Occupied Territories.

Maduhi, who headed the delegation, said that his arrival had been

coordinated by Muhammad Hejazi, director of the Al Aqsa Fund in

Belgium.45

• In October 2004, the U.S. Treasury Department declared that Al-Aqsa

Belgium was “reportedly linked” to the Islamic African Relief Agency

(IARA). In addition to financing Al-Qaida, IARA allegedly moved funds to

the Palestinian territories for use in terrorist activities, serving as a conduit

to Hamas in one Western European country. In part, funds were raised

through IARA collection boxes marked "Allah" and “Israel” indicating that

the funds would be used for attacks against Israelis.46

• In December 2004, a document was released describing the allocation

of funds received from various foundations (including the Al-Aqsa

Charitable Foundation) in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, and

Denmark to Hamas’ Al-Islah Charitable Society in Bethlehem. The report

stated that the funds were allocated through the British Hamas-affiliated

Interpal fund, and that some of the funds were bound for Hamas

“terrorist-supportive infrastructure.“47

• In December 2004, a letter was released from Mahmoud Amr to the

Hamas organization, the Orphan Care Society in Bethlehem. The letter

requests that the Society send Mohammed Hejjaji “a list of the orphans

who receive support funds from the institution” in order to assist Al-Aqsa

Germany with its legal problems in Germany. 48 The report adds, “Owing

to the ban on the foundation’s activity in Germany, it maintained its

correspondence through the Belgium branch.”

In July 2002, the Belgian parliamentary Intelligence Committee report stated “Hamas

was present in Belgium via the organization Al-Aqsa in Verviers.” 49 However, despite the

action of other governments and the evidence against the organization cited above, the

Belgian government has taken no action to date against Al-Aqsa Belgium. A Belgian

parliamentary investigation concluded in January 2004 that there was insufficient evidence

to ban the activities of Al-Aqsa Belgium as had been done in German and the Netherlands.50

45 “Belgian National Arrested on Suspicion of Connection to Outlawed Al Aqsa Fund,” Israel

Ministry of Foreign Affairs Press Release, January 6, 2004.

46 “Treasury Designates Global Network, Senior Officials of IARA for Supporting bin Laden,

Others,” Treasury Department Press Release, October 13, 2004.

47 “A German Court Upholds a Government Decision to Outlaw the German office of the Al-Aqsa

Charitable Foundation,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special

Studies, December 2004.

48 “A German Court Upholds a Government Decision to Outlaw the German office of the Al-Aqsa

Charitable Foundation,” Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center at the Center for Special

Studies, December 2004.

49 Sénat et Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Session De 2001-2002, Rapport d'activité

2001 du Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignements et de sécurité, 19 Juillet

2002,

http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=33618007&LANG=fr.

50 SÉANCE PLÉNIÈRE, www.dekamer.be/doc/CCRA/html/51/ac140.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium color=#c0c0c0>

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Changes in the Organization

Beginning in 2001, Al-Aqsa Belgium underwent a series of organizational changes,

most likely due to the pressure facing the organization at that time. As of September 2002,

Bassem Hatahet, Nimeh Amro, and Mostafa Busif left the board, and Mohamed El Hajjaji took

over as President with Mr. Amr appointed as “Director of Projects.”51 In 2005/2006, more

changes in Al-Aqsa Belgium took place:52 53 54

• Mr. Amr and Ali Sonlu were removed from the board effectively,

severing any official connection between Al-Aqsa Belgium and the

branches in Germany and the Netherlands.

• A series of relatively unknown individuals were appointed as other

officers.

• The name of the organization was changed to AKSAHU.

According to Belgian legal documents, this change was

made to avoid confusion with the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade,

but it is more likely that Al-Aqsa Belgium had problems

transferring funds, possibly as a result of the U.S.

designation.55

• The registered office was changed to a new facility, located

in a higher income neighborhood just outside the

Hodimont area of Verviers.

Al-Aqsa Verviers

As of February 2006, German police were reported to have been searching

for Mahmoud Amr who was supposed to have been deported as a result of his

activities; investigators assumed that he had fled to Brussels based on information

provided by his wife. 56

Al-Aqsa Belgium today is the only remaining office of the Al-Aqsa Foundation that

continues in operation, testifying to the efficacy of creating redundant organizations, a wellknown

strategy of the global Muslim Brotherhood. Al-Aqsa Belgium maintains a highly

visible office in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, an economically distressed municipality located in

Brussels that is home to a largely Muslim immigrant population. The organization has

another, less-visible office in Verviers which is marked only with a small piece of tape on the

entrance door and Mohamed El Hajjaji, likely the founder of Al-Aqsa Belgium, as well as other

51 A-Aqsa 4800 Verviers ANDERUNGEN AN DER BENENNUNG *** ANDERUNG DER

SATZUNGEN *** ERNENNUNG(EN) *** VERWALTUNGSRAT *** VOLLMACHT

Veröffentlichung: 2002-11-14 N. 022510 Identification : 1619393 MWST oder

Unternehmensnummer: : 450818683

52 “Germany Deports Head of Al-Aqsa Charitable Society,” palestine-info.co.uk in

http://www.jihadunspun.com/indexside_

external.php?article=102871&list=/home.php& accessed May 24, 2005 (no longer

available)

53 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2005/04/28/05062700.pdf.

54 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2006/11/09/06169923.pdf.

55 http://www.cass.be/tribunal_commerce/verviers/images/1306.0009.pdf.

56 “Hamas-Helfer gesucht,” Focus, February 6, 2006.

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El Hajjaji family members are listed in Belgian phone records at that address. In November

2007, the front door of the Al-Aqsa Belgium office displayed a large poster advertising the

yearly meeting of the German Muslim Brotherhood organization, the Islamische

Gemeinschaft in Deutschland. As the remainder of this report will illustrate, Al-Aqsa Belgium

has organizational ties with other parts of the Belgian Muslim Brotherhood.

Islamic Complex in Verviers

Located one block down the street from a

prior Al-Aqsa Belgium address in Verviers is a

complex of Islamic facilities tied to Al-Aqsa Belgium

and the Belgian Muslim Brotherhood. A newspaper

article on the Hodimont complex traces its origin to

an unidentified Islamic association that had been in

operation since at least 1993.57 According to that

article, the building housing the complex is an

abandoned tannery built in 1936 and bought in

2001 at a cost of 200,000 Euros, financed from the

proceeds of an inheritance that specified the

establishment of a mosque. As of January 2005, Hodimont Complex

the 6000 m2 space was reported to include Internet facilities, a cafeteria, Arabic language

classes, youth and women’s committees, and a mosque that occupies the largest amount of

space.58 The mosque may have been known earlier as Mosquée As Salem but is now called

Mosquée Assahaba.59 60 Attendance has been put at over 1,300 for Friday prayers of which

25% were reported to be women. As of October 2007, Belgian documents refer to Yahya

Lamaalaoui as the Imam for the mosque, with an address down the street from addresses

associated with probable El Hajjaji family members.61

In addition to the mosque, there are at least two other organizations operating from

the complex. The first is known as the Complex éducatif et Culturel Islamique de Verviers

(CECIV). CECIV was established in May 2004 as a successor to the unidentified association

mentioned above and its constitution specifies Islamic youth and social purposes including

cultural, sport, educational, and festival activities.62 The original officers of CECIV were Hassan

Swaid (President), Abdeljallil El Hajjaji, Driss El Hajjaji, Mohamed Darfoufi, and Mohamed

Arabate. Hassan Swaid is German with an address in Aachen, the former location for the

head office of the Al-Aqsa Foundation. In 2003, Swaid was listed as a member of the

Islamische Gemeinschaft in Deutschland, the Muslim Brotherhood organization in

57 ..:: Minorités ::.., www.minorites.org/article.php?IDA=7588.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

58 Quand les musulmans voient grand - Lalibre.be,

http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=10&subid=90&art_id=203947.

59 www.verviers.be/VIE PRATIQUE/Divers

http://web.archive.org/web/20050309124628/http://www.verviers.be/site_ville/vie_pratique/vp

_divers.html.

60 0865.470.622 Date de début: 26 mai 2004 Dénomination (sociale): Complexe Educatif Culturel

Islamique de Verviers "Mosquée ASSAHABA" Dénomination en français, depuis 26 mai 2004

Abréviation: C.E.C.I.V. Dénomination en français, depuis 26 mai 2004***

61

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste.

62

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste .

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Germany.63 Mohamed Darfoufi, the Treasurer, was listed in 2006 as the Treasurer of Al-Aqsa

Belgium.64 Abdeljallil and Driss El Hajjaji are probably members of Mohamed El Hajjaji’s family.

In September of 2004, Hassan Swaid was replaced as President by Michael Privot, a

convert to Islam whose brother was reported to be the architect for the complex of buildings

housing the CECEIV.65 66 Another CECIV leader in 2005 was Hajib El Hajjaji, probably also a

member of the El Hajjaji and a Verviers City Councilman elected in 2006.67 68 Hajib El Hajjaji

was also listed in 2006 as a member of the leadership of Comite Verviers Palestine (CVP) and

in May 2006, the CECIV complex hosted a pro-Palestinian conference organized by the CVP

featuring far-left Belgian journalist Michel Collon.69 As of October 2007, other than Hassan

Swaid, all of the above individuals were still listed as members of the board of the CECIV.70

An archived web page from April 2006 promotes a conference hosted by CECIV that

featured Muslim Brotherhood figure Tariq Ramadan as the featured speaker.71 Connections

to the Muslim Brotherhood in Brussels are discussed later in this report.

The second organization operating from the complex is known as Essalem and was

founded on August 2, 1996 by Abdeljallil El Hajjaji, Khalid El Abbadi, and Hassan El Azzouzi.72

As of December 2005, Abdeljallil El Hajjaji and Hajib El Hajjaji were President and Vice

President respectively.73 The declared purposes of the organization are similar to those of

CECIV with the addition of civil rights goals such as fighting xenophobia and racism, as well

as “Islamaphobia.”

The Muslim Brotherhood in Brussels

Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe

There are a series of organizations in Belgium linked to the Federation of Islamic

Organizations in Europe (FIOE), a European umbrella group with “close connections” to the

Muslim Brotherhood.74 The FIOE was founded in 1989 and is comprised of some 29 member

organizations, the majority in the EU but also including non-EU countries such as Russian and

63 islam.de / Newsnational / "Deutscher islamwissenschaftlicher Ausschuss der Neumonde"

(DIWAN) meldet: Dienstag, der 25. November 2003, ist Id al-Fitr, www.islam.de/1106.php.

 face=ErasITC-Medium size=2>

64

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste.

65

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste

66 Quand les musulmans voient grand - Lalibre.be,

http://www.lalibre.be/article.phtml?id=10&subid=90&art_id=203947.

67 ..:: Minorités ::.., www.minorites.org/article.php?IDA=7588.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

68 Hajib EL HAJJAJI - page d'accueil, www.hajib.be/Quisuisje.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

69 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2006/08/02/06126446.pdf.

70

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste

71 Feuille blanche,

http://web.archive.org/web/20060619154227/http://www.ceciv.be/solidarite.htm.

72 Essalem STATUTS, published September 26, 1996.

73 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2006/01/13/06013979.pdf.

74 Ian Johnson, “Islamic Group's Ties Reveal Europe's Challenge,” The Wall Street Journal,

December 29, 2005.

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Turkey.75 76 Most of these member organizations have visible ties to the global Muslim

Brotherhood, particularly those members in the larger European countries such as Germany,

France, and the U.K. where the FIOE members are generally acknowledged to represent the

Muslim Brotherhood. The FIOE website explains the organization as follows:

“The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe is a non-profitable

European organization, which provides a framework for its member

organizations and institutions. This framework aims to achieve the overall

common goals of serving Muslims in European societies. The FIOE also aims to

maintain the Muslim presence in Europe and to enhance and develop that

presence so that Islam is properly and accurately introduced.”77

The FIOE is organized administratively into departments such as Public Relations,

Dawa, and Eastern Europe.78 The departments are run by FIOE officers who include some of

the most important leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, such as Ibrahim El-Zayat,

the head of the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Germany known as the Islamische

Gemeinschaft in Deutschland, the FIOE German member organization.79 80

In addition to its member organizations, FIOE is also comprised of what it calls its

“central organizations”, the most prominent of which include: 81

1. European Council for Fatwa Research

Headquartered in Dublin, the ECFR is a theological body headed by global

Muslim Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi and composed of scholars,

most of who reside outside of Europe. The ECFR meets annually and issues

fatwas consistent with the Muslim Brotherhood tradition represented by

Qaradawi.

2. The Europe Trust

A U.K. charity founded in 1996 that purports to be independent but functions

actually as a funding mechanism for FIOE. Most of the activity of the Europe

Trust has been devoted to amassing a real-estate portfolio and has been

funded by sources in Gulf countries including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab

75 “New Body of European Imams: What's Next?”, IslamOnline.net, February 28, 2008.

76 “Pan-European Muslim Org. Forms Special body for Preachers and Prayer Leaders,” KUNA,

February 24, 2008.

77 The Official Web Site of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe,

http://www.eu-islam.com/en/templates/Index_en.asp. (Date Saved: January 20, 2007, no longer

available)

78 MainFrame, www.eu-islam.com/en/templates/about_en.asp. (Date saved: January 20,

2007, no longer available)

79 Official Website of The Amman Message, “Grand List of Endorsements of the Amman Message

and its Three Points,”

http://www.ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31

80 http://www.verfassungsschutz.de/download/SHOW/vsbericht_2005_engl.pdf.

81 MainFrame, www.eu-islam.com/en/templates/about_en.asp. (Date saved: January 20,

2007, no longer available)

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Emirates, Kuwait, and Bahrain. The majority of Trustees are FIOE officers

including Ibrahim El-Zayat.82

3. European Institute for Human Sciences

Founded by the French FIOE member organization in 1990, the stated

purpose of EIHS was to train Imams in the European context, but the

institution rather appears to be promoting Arabization and re-Islamization of

its students. EIHS has failed to graduate significant number of students trained

as Imams and has suffered financial problems of late.

4. The Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organizations

(FEMYSO)

Founded in 1996 and headquartered in Brussels, FEMYSO is the youth and

student division of FIOE and will be discussed later in this report.

Each of these organizations has strong ties to the global Muslim Brotherhood and/or Saudi

institutions such as the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY), as did the long-serving

FIOE President Ahmed Al-Rawi, recently retired, who made statements supporting terrorism

in Israel and Iraq.83 84 Dr. Al-Rawi is also a Trustee of the Union of Good, the worldwide

coalition of charities supporting Hamas that was discussed previously in the section on Al-

Aqsa Belgium.85

Ligue Islamique Interculturelle De Belgique

A 2001-2002 report by the Belgium parliamentary Intelligence Committee identifies

the Ligue Islamique Interculturelle De Belgique (LIIB), the Belgian FIOE member organization,

as one of several Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Belgium operating under other

names.86 The LIIB was founded in February 1997 by Monsif Chatar and Karim Azzouzi, the

current LIIB President and Vice President respectively, as well as two other relatively unknown

individuals.87 The purposes of the new organization included: integration of immigrants,

promoting tolerance, youth development, and projects to “ensure the auto- financial

sufficiency of association.” In June 1998, several important changes were made:

• The LIIB changed its registered address to its present location.

82 Extract from the Central Register of Charities maintained by the Charity Commission for

England and Wales,

http://www.charitycommission.

gov.uk/registeredcharities/showtrustees.asp?Chy=4007138&Reg=1103290&Type=M

ain+Charity&Name=EUROPE+TRUST&SubID=.

83 Nicholas Rufford and Abul Taher, “British Muslim Says Troops are Fair Target,” Times Online,

October 31, 2004.

84 Ian Johnson, “Islamic Group's Ties Reveal Europe's Challenge,” The Wall Street Journal,

December 29, 2005.

عوضوم يا - ريخلا فالتئا 85 , www.101days.org/arabic/modules.php?name=somnaa.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

86 Sénat et Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Session De 2001-2002, Rapport d'activité

2001 du Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignements et de sécurité, 19 Juillet

2002,

http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=33618007&LANG=fr.

87 Registration document.

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• The Europe Trust was assigned any assets remaining

upon dissolution of the organization.

• An Islamic youth organization called "Spaces Cultural

Moslem Youth" was created within the LIIB.

The June 1998 document was signed by LIIB President M.

Chatar as General-Secretary and by Bassem Hatahet.88 LIIB Location

In February 2006, the LIIB added Franck Hensch as Vice President/Secretary and Beji

Denguir as Treasurer.89 Born in Verviers, Mr. Hensch, likely an Islamic convert, is 29-years old

and lists his profession as “organizer.” In June 2001, he was listed as the Secretary of an

Islamic culture association in Verviers, and in March 2005, he was appointed the Secretary for

Al-Aqsa Belgium.90 91 Mr. Hensch was removed as Vice President/Secretary and replaced by

Karim Azzouzi.92 Current LIIB officers are Monsif Chatar (President), Karim Azzouzi (Vice

President/Secretary), and Beji Denguir (Treasurer).

The LIIB maintains a facility at its registered address, located in a middle-class

residential/commercial neighborhood in southern Brussels close to the Midi/Zuid train

station. Islamic websites also list a mosque known as the Centre Abidine at the same

address.93 In November 2007, the LIIB headquarters had a poster on its window advertising a

conference with Muslim Brotherhood figure Hani Ramadan.

In recent years, the LIIB has demonstrated strong ties to the global Muslim

Brotherhood and the organization maintains associations to Brotherhood figures Tariq and

Hani Ramadan, the grandsons of the founder of the Brotherhood. The 2001 report of the

Belgian parliamentary Intelligence Committee states:

“The Ligue islamique interculturelle organizes conferences regularly where it

invites Tariq Ramadan and his brother Hani Ramadan. They note that the

moderate speeches which Tariq Ramadan gives in public always do not

correspond with the remarks which he makes in restricted Islamic mediums,

where they are definitely more critical towards Western Society.” 94

The LIIB is known to have sponsored a November 2006 conference with Hani

Ramadan and in November 2007, as noted above, the LIIB headquarters had a poster for yet

88 Ligue islamique interculturelle de Belgique 1080 Bruxelles ANDERUNG DER SATZUNGEN ***

VERLEGUNG DER SITZES Veröffentlichung: 2001-11-15 N. 021937 Identification : 410097

MWST oder Unternehmensnummer: : 460342697.

89 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2006/02/27/06041047.pdf.

90 " Dar Salam " 4840 Welkenraedt SATZUNGEN *** Veröffentlichung: 2001-06-07 N.

009696 Identification : 96962001 MWST oder Unternehmensnummer: : 474870626

91 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2005/04/28/05062700.pdf

92 http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/tsv_pdf/2006/09/28/06149652.pdf.

93 L'Annuaire Musulman | Mosquées | Mosquées et Centres islamiques | Centre Al Abidine |

L’Annuaire Musulman

http://www.annuaire-musulman.com/view.php?id=1114&page=0&cat=78.

94 Sénat et Chambre des Représentants de Belgique, Session De 2001-2002, Rapport d'activité

2001 du Comité permanent de contrôle des services de renseignements et de sécurité, 19 Juillet

2002,

http://www.senate.be/www/?MIval=/publications/viewPubDoc&TID=33618007&LANG=fr.

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http://www.nefafoundation.org

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another conferences with Hani Ramadan in its window.95 The LIIB has also been involved

with a number of FIOE activities including a 2003 joint event with FEMYSO, signing a joint

petition with 24 other FIOE affiliates, organizing conferences with and sponsoring several

speakers from the FIOE French affiliate.96 97 98 99 100

The LIIB also has relationships with important Saudi Islamist institutions. The

Parliamentary reports states that the organization maintains contacts with the Islamic Cultural

Center of Brussels (ICCB), identified earlier as a Saudi-sponsored institution. Also, an archived

website of the Saudi World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY) lists the LIIB as one of eight

Islamic organizations in Europe, all of which are FIOE affiliates.101

Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations

The website of the Forum of European Muslim Youth and Student Organisations

(FEMYSO) traces its origin to a series of meetings held in 1996 with various youth and student

organizations under the sponsorship of FIOE and the Islamic Foundation.102 Another source

says that FEMYSO was created by a joint initiative of the FIOE and the World Assembly of

Muslim Youth together with several national Muslim youth organizations.103 In 2004, the

FIOE website included FEMSO as one of its “central organizations” and described it as “...a

forum that consists of dozens of youth and student organizations and associations spanning

most of Europe. The Forum works towards increasing the awareness of Muslim youth and

preserving their identity through organizing seminars, conferences, camps, and advanced

courses, as well as through publishing leaflets, magazines, and books and creating a

communication network of members and contacts via the Internet.”104

FEMYSO says that it has since has developed into a network of 37 member

organizations, bringing together youth from over 40 countries.105 The organization is

headquartered in central Brussels, occupying one of two offices in a second floor office suite.

The adjacent office is occupied by the World Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY). In 2003,

Belgian phone records listed a Bassen Hatahet at the same address and a telephone number

that belonged to FEMYSO operation.106 107

95 CONFERENCE FEVRIER 2006: Mouedden Mohsin

http://moueddenmohsin.blogspirit.com/archive/2006/01/31/conference-fevrier-2006.html

96 “Femyso.org: 2003,” p9445.typo3server.info/56.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

97 “An urgent appeal from Muslims and Islamic Bodies in Europe,”

http://web.archive.org/web/20040914102712/http://www.rabita.ch/francais/communiques/ur

gent_appel_journalists.htm.

98 “Dounia News,” www.dounia-news.com/mois-2004/fevrier/16-02.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

99 AU NOM DE DIEU LE TOUT MISERICORDIEUX LA LIGUE ISLAMIQUE INTERCULTURELLE DE

BELG, www.islam-belgique.com/annonce.cfm?StartRow=516&PageNum=36. (Date saved:

June 17, 2005, no longer available)

100 AuteurMessage, femmesmusulmanes.forumactif.com/viewtopic.forum?t=1134.

(Date saved: June 17, 2005, no longer available)

101 http://web.archive.org/web/20030102102350/http://wamy.co.uk/islam/islam_frame31.html.

102 “Femyso.org: History,” p9445.typo3server.info/20.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

103 Sara Silvestri, “Interacting with Muslim Communities in the EU,” Centre of International Studies,

University of Cambridge, 2003.

104 MainFrame, web.archive.org/web/20040715151512/http://www.euislam.

com/en/templates/about_en.asp.

105 “Femyso.org: About us,” p9445.typo3server.info/profil.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

106 Europe “White & Yellow Pages,” Infobel DVD

107 http://www.ljp.lv/docs/musulmani.doc (no longer available).

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Although FEMYSO has recently elected new and relatively unknown leadership, five of

the eleven trustees are important leaders in the German Muslim Brotherhood and/or officers

of FIOE:108 109

• Ibrahim El-Zayat is one of the founders of FEMYSO.110 He is the head of

the Muslim Brotherhood organization in Germany, a FIOE officer, and

the former head of WAMY in Western Europe.111 A May 2007 German

news report stated that Mr. Ibrahim El-Zayat is currently the

representative of the Brussels office of FEMYSO, and in that capacity, he

functions as a lobbyist to European institutions on issues such as the

headscarf.112

• Ayman Aly is also one of the founders of FEMYSO.113 He is the current

Secretary-General of FIOE and the Assistant Secretary-General of the

International Islamic Federation of Student Organizations (IIFSO), which

has close relations with the Saudi Muslim World League and the World

Assembly of Muslim Youth (WAMY).114 115 116

• Ogüz Ucuncu is the business partner of Ibrahim El-Zayat and the

Secretary General of Milli Gorus in Germany, a Turkish Islamist

organization that runs 300 mosques in Germany.117

• Khallad Swaid is the former President of FEMYSO who, as late as 2005,

was identified as the Chairman of the Muslimische Jugend (MJD), a

FEMYSO member organization with which Mr. El-Zayat and his brother

Bilal are closely associated.118 119

• Hadia Himmat is the former FEMYSO Vice President and likely the

daughter of Ali Ghaleb Himmat, long-time head of the IGD and Mr. El-

Zayat’s predecessor and close associate of Youssef Nada, the “foreign

minister” for the International Muslim Brotherhood and also a former

member of the IGD.

108 “Femyso.org: President & ExCo,” p9445.typo3server.info/15.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

109 “Femyso.org: Board of Trustees,” p9445.typo3server.info/16.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

110 I-G-D e.V.

http://www.i-g-d.de/cmsde1/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=66&Itemid=33

111 Ian Johnson, “Islamic Group's Ties Reveal Europe's Challenge,” The Wall Street Journal,

December 29, 2005.

112 Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, "Die Macht des Ibrahim El Zayat," Frankfurter Allgemeine

Zeitung , May 11, 2007.

113 “Guest CV: Dr. Aiman Ali,” IslamonLine.net

http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=rbQxt5.

114 “European Muslims Charter Born,” KUNA, January 10, 2008.

115 “Guest CV: Dr. Aiman Ali,” IslamonLine.net

http://www.islamonline.net/livedialogue/english/Guestcv.asp?hGuestID=rbQxt5.

116 “The Muslim World After 9/11,” RAND. 2004.

117 Ofri Ilani, “German Turk Takes on 'Anti-Semitic Islamic Propaganda,” Haaretz, October 12, 2006.

118 “Femyso.org: President & ExCo,” p9445.typo3server.info/15.0.html.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

119 “Muslimische Jugend Deutschland”

http://www.jugendserver.de/wai1/showcontent.asp?ThemaID=3886, February 14, 2004.

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Current and former FEMYSO leaders are also active in the Verviers Islamic complex

housing the CECIV and Essalem. Perhaps the most prominent of these is Michael Privot who

has been a Vice President of FEMYSO and is currently listed as the Vice Secretary of the

CECIV.120 121 Mr. Privot is the Campaigns & Networking Officer at the European Network

Against Racism, which is described as a network of over 600 European NGOs working to

combat racism in all the EU member states.122 123 In November 2005, Mr. Privot participated in

a U.S. State Department conference in Brussels that brought together Belgian and American

Muslims. The participating American organizations included all of the major U.S. Muslim

Brotherhood organizations including the Islamic Society of North America (ISNA), the Council

on American Islamic Relations (CAIR), the Muslim Public Affairs Council (MPAC), and the

Muslim Students Association of the US and Canada (MSA). Joint initiatives between FEMYSO

and MSA were announced at a follow-up to the conference.124 Other FEMYSO leaders with

ties to CECIV/Essalem include CECIV founder Hassan Swaid, who listed the same address as

FEMYSO leader Khallad Swaid, and Hajib El Hajjaji, an officer of both CECIEV and Essalem,

who has helped to organize at least one FEMYSO event.125 126 127

The FEMYSO website states that:

“Over the last 4 years it has become the de facto voice of Muslim Youth in

Europe and is regularly consulted on issues pertaining to Muslims in Europe

and has developed useful links with the European Parliament, the Council of

Europe, the United Nations, and a host of other relevant organizations at the

European level.”

These claims are substantiated by evidence that includes:

• FEMYSO is one of the groups designated by the UN as “Specially

accredited to the World Conference against Racism.”128

• The Council of Europe has designated FEMYSO as one of thirty members

of its Advisory Council on Youth for 2006-2008.129

120 “Michael Privot: A Muslim Declaration of Independence,” The Providence Journal, November

25, 2005.

121 HV – SC,

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste.

122 “ENAR - ENAR Staff,” www.enar-eu.org/en/info/staff.shtml.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

123 “ENAR - About ENAR,” www.enar-eu.org/en/about/.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

124 MDC21, www.muslimdialogue.be/gallery/pages/MDC21.htm.

face=ErasITC-Medium>

125 HV – SC,

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0865470622%20&liste=Li

ste.

126

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0477992838%20&liste=Li

ste .

127 http://p9445.typo3server.info/uploads/media/21Jan2006_en.pdf.

128 BILAN 2003 - E/CN.4/2003/19/Add.1

http://www.hri.ca/fortherecord2003/bilan2003/documentation/commission/e-cn4-2003-19-

add1.htm.

129 ”Composition of the Advisory Council on Youth for the Period 2006-2008,” Council of Europe,

Committee of Ministers,

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• Since 2003, FEMYSO has been meeting with the Group of Policy

Advisors (GOPA), a think-tank attached to the President of the European

Commission, as well as attending briefing conferences organized by the

Commission's Counselor For Religious Affairs.130

• FEMYSO took part in a conference jointly sponsored with the European

Youth Forum that was held at the European Parliament in September

2003.131

More Infrastructure

Since 2001, there is evidence that the Muslim Brotherhood in Belgium has been

attempting to develop a more comprehensive infrastructure as it has done in other European

countries. This effort is reflected in the creation of the following organizations, all of which

involve Bassem Hatahet or his business partner Karim Chemlal as a signatory:

1. Charity

Bassem Hatahet is listed as the President of an organization founded in January

2001 known as the Association Assalem pour les actions humanitaires,

culturelles et de charité en Belgique.132 The Secretary/General is listed as

Yaslam Chibah, with an address associated with various CECIV/Essalem

officers, and the Treasurer is listed as Moncef Chatar, likely the current LIIB

President. One of the two additional founding members is Ahmed Al Raoui,

likely Ahmed Al-Rawi, the past President of FIOE. The declared purposes of

Assalem included “assistance with humane, charitable, and cultural activities”,

promotion of “constructive dialogue between institutions and the minorities,

and encouraging ”projects of development and investments intended for

minorities.” Like the LIIB, the founding statutes specify that in case of

dissolution, remaining assets will go to the Europe Trust, the “charitable” arm of

FIOE.

2. Student

In August 2005, Bassem Hatahet was listed as one of three founding members

of the Union des Organisations Estudiantines Musulmans.133 The other

founders and officers are three relatively unknown individuals who appear to

be genuine students, listing home addresses in Kuwait, Malaysia, and Benin.

https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=951125&Site=COE&BackColorInternet=DBDCF2&BackColorI

ntranet=FDC864&BackColorLogged=FDC864.

130 “Islam in the European Commission’s System of Regulation of Religion” in Aziz Al-Azmeh and

Effie Fokas (Editors), “Islam in Europe: Diversity, Identity and Influence.”

131 “Youth Event Enhances Dialogue between MEPS and Young Muslims,” Forum of European

Muslim Youth and Student Organisations and Youth Forum Press Release, September 16, 2003,

http://web.archive.org/web/20051104010911/http://www.youthforum.org/en/press/press_rele

ases/0576-03EN.pdf.

132 Association Assalem pour les actions humanitaires, culturelles et de charité en Belgique

SATZUNGEN Veröffentlichung: 2001-02-15 N. 002841 Identification : 28412001 MWST oder

Unternehmensnummer: : 473999507.

133

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0875698974%20&liste=Li

ste.

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The registered address for the organization is in Brussels, just around the corner

from the address listed by Beji Denguir, the Treasurer of the LIIB.

3. Umbrella

The Ligue des Musulmans de Belgique (LMB) was created in February 2006.134

The name suggests that the organization was created as a successor to the LIIB

and the statutes state that the LMB is a member of FIOE whose assets on

dissolution go the Europe Trust.135 Of the eleven signatories to the founding

document, two are known to be officers of other Belgian Muslim Brotherhood

organizations: Karim Azzouzi, LIIB Vice President/Secretary and Abdel El Hajjaji,

an officer of CECIV/Essalem in Verviers. A third, Karim Chemlal, is the business

partner of Bassem Hatahet and is identified in recent news reports as the head

of the LMB.136 Two more founders are possible relatives of Brotherhood

organization officers including Redouae Chatar and Ben Razzouk who listed an

address adjacent to the registered address of the Union des Organisations

Estudiantines Musulmans, discussed above. Since its creation, the LMB has

been a signatory to several online petitions concerning Islamic issues such as

the Danish cartoon crisis and supporting the ex-head of the Central Muslim

body after he was arrested on charges of fraud.137 138 In September 2007, the

LMB hosted a meeting in Brussels which brought together over 400 Islamic

organizations to sign a code of conduct developed by the FIOE for Muslims

who live in Europe.139The LMB is likely the same organization referred to on the

FIOE website as the Muslim Association of Belgian, the FIOE Belgian member

organization.140

FIOE HQ

Until very recently, the FIOE national office was

located in Markfield, U.K., where the ex-President Ahmed Al-

Rawi was working. In May 2007, the FIOE national office was

moved to an address in Brussels located in a largely immigrant

neighborhood but within several blocks of the important EU

buildings.141 In addition to the FIOE, it appears that the FIOE Headquarters

134 Résultat recherche Banque-Carrefour des Entreprises (BCE) et Registre du Commerce,

http://kbo-bce-ps.mineco.fgov.be/ps/kbo_ps/kbo_search.jsp?VO=3468BA54.

135

http://www.ejustice.just.fgov.be/cgi_tsv/tsv_rech.pl?language=fr&btw=0879261151%20&liste=Li

ste.

136 Nawab Khan, “Belgian Activist Lauds Kuwait’s Role in Establishing European Muslims,” KUNA,

January 24, 2008.

137 BRIEF N.A.V. DE KARIKATUREN VAN DE PROFEET :: Voem vzw :: www.voem-vzw.be

http://www.voem-vzw.be/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=202.

138 Fraudes à l'Exécutif des musulmans,

http://www.bladi.net/forum/88727-fraudes-lexecutif-musulmans/index2.html.

139 De Morgen: Buitenland - Europese moslims ondertekenen historische 'gedragscode' (124941)

http://demorgen.be/dm/nl/990/Buitenland/article/detail/124941/2008/01/07/Europesemoslims-

ondertekenen-historische-gedragscode.dhtml.

140 Contact Us : Euro-Muslim

http://www.euro-muslim.net/English/yo-yo-yo/contact-us

141 Headquarters of FIOE : Euro-Muslim

http://www.euro-muslim.net/English/fioe/headquarters-of-fioe.

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European Federation of Muslim Women, an organization associated with FIOE though not

listed as an official FIOE organization, is also located at that address. According to Belgian

phone records, Bassem Hatahet is listed at this address and shares the same telephone

number as the FIOE national office.142

1. Bassem Hatahet

A January 2007 article posted on the Internet describes a Bassem Hatahet as a

member of the FIOE.143 He is 43-years old and was born in Damascus, Syria, where he likely

still has relatives. Various sources list a residential address for Mr. Hatahet in northwest central

Brussels.144 Security sources in Belgium describe Mr. Hatahet as the most important Muslim

Brotherhood figure in Belgium, and a Bassem Hatahet was listed in a 1999 phonebook

belonging to Youssef Nada, a self-described leader of the Muslim Brotherhood who was

designated by the U.S. in 2002 as a terrorism financier.145 146 Mr. Hatahet is an executive in at

least two real-estate related businesses in Brussels, and a March 2007 announcement

published by the city of Brussels indicates that he was constructing an apartment building

with eleven apartments at that time.147 One of the businesses, Eurocim European Capital

Investment Management, lists Monsieur Mohamed Rachad Hatahet with an address in

Damascus as the other officer.148 The other business, Nitro EU Consulting, lists Karim Chemlal

as Manager.149

2. Karim Chemlal

Karim Chemlal is a 40 year old resident of Brussels, born in Morocco and now also a

naturalized citizen of Belgium.150 He has a PhD in microbiology and has been employed in

that field. As noted above, he is listed as the Manager of Nitro EU Consulting, where Bassem

Hatahet is an executive, and his current address in Brussels is located close to the apartment

building that Mr. Hatahet is constructing. In July 1999, he was also listed as a responsible

party on the founding documents for a Moroccan immigrant organization known as

Nibras.151 Dr. Chemlal has been active in Belgian Islamic affairs including:

• Dr. Chemlal was one of the nine individuals from Belgium who endorsed

the “Amman Message”, a statement that was issued on November 9,

2004 by King Abdullah II of Jordan, calling for tolerance and unity in the

142 White Pages look up for “Hatahet,”

http://www.whitepages.be/search/hatahet.html;jsessionid=12A6A7BE1D50898AB3DB22155B3

CA7B.

143 Ab wann ist ein Embryo ein menschliches Lebewesen?

http://www.aerztezeitung.de/panorama/?sid=436219.

144 White Pages look up for “Hatahet,”

http://www.whitepages.be/search/hatahet.html;jsessionid=12A6A7BE1D50898AB3DB22155B3

CA7B.

145 Youssef Nada phonebook.

146 “Designation of 10 Terrorist Financiers Fact Sheet,” U.S. Treasury Department Press Release,

April 19, 2002.

147

http://www.brucity.be/pdf/commission%20de%20concertation%20de%20dossier/2007/OJ0709

04.pdf.

148 Eurocim 2006 Annual Report.

149 Dun & Bradstreet, Inc., Worldbase, August 14, 2005, NITRO EU CONSULTING SPRL.

150 Nitro EU 2007, Corporate document.

151 Nibras 2660 Hoboken SATZUNGEN *** Veröffentlichung: 2000-01-13 N. 001029

Identification : 10292000 MWST oder Unternehmensnummer: : 469124266.

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Muslim world.152 Among the other signers in Belgium were Khallad

Swaid, the former President of FEMYSO, and Mohamed Boulif, a former

President of the Islamic Executive Council. Many of the signatories to the

Amman message are known to be part of the global Muslim

Brotherhood, and the effort was based partially on the fatwas of

Brotherhood leader Youssef Qaradawi.153

• In February 2006, Dr. Chemlal was listed as a contact person on an

online petition protesting the Danish cartoons.154

• Dr. Chemlal, along with the other Belgian signers of the Amman

Message, attended a July 2006 conference in Istanbul titled “Muslims In

Europe.” The conference also featured many prominent members of the

global Muslim Brotherhood, including Bosnian Grand Mufti, Mustafa

Ceric, Tunisian Islamist Rachid Ghannouchi, and Ahmed Al-Rawi, the

President of the FIOE.155

Recent news reports describe Dr. Chemlal as representing FIOE in Belgium.156 The

FIOE website lists him as both the contact person for the FIOE Belgian member

organization and as the head of the FIOE Youth and Student department.157 158

Conclusions

This report has identified a more elaborate Muslim Brotherhood infrastructure in

Belgium than was previously known publicly. The 2002 Belgian parliamentary report

identified only the Ligue Islamique Interculturelle De Belgique (LIIB) and the early student

organizations as part of that infrastructure. Conspicuously absent was the entire Hamas

support operation in Verviers, mentioned only briefly in the report as part of the Hamas

“presence” in Belgium. It is not clear why Al-Aqsa Belgium and CECIV/Essalem were not

included as part of the Belgian Muslim Brotherhood. It is also not clear why the Belgian

government never acted to shutdown Al-Aqsa Belgium as both Germany and the

Netherlands did. While sources in the Belgian security service say this was due to the lack of a

Belgian anti-terror law, it should also be noted that in 2006, Belgium, along with France and

Ireland, argued against declaring the political wing of Hamas a terrorist group, a position that

might shed light on the thinking behind the decision.159 As noted in the report, Al-Aqsa

152 Official Website of The Amman Message, “Grand List of Endorsements of the Amman Message

and its Three Points,”

http://www.ammanmessage.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=17&Itemid=31

153 Official Website of The Amman Message, “The Amman Message,”

http://www.ammanmessage.com/.

154 BRIEF N.A.V. DE KARIKATUREN VAN DE PROFEET :: Voem vzw :: www.voem-vzw.be

http://www.voem-vzw.be/modules.php?op=modload&name=News&file=article&sid=202.

155 Muslims of Europe Conference,

http://web.archive.org/web/20070329013229/www.muslimsofeurope.com/invitees.php.

156 Nawab Khan, “Belgian Activist Lauds Kuwait’s Role in Establishing European Muslims,” KUNA,

January 24, 2008.

157 Members : Euro-Muslim,

http://www.euro-muslim.net/English/members.

158 Contact Us : Euro-Muslim,

http://www.euro-muslim.net/English/yo-yo-yo/contact-us.

159 “Magistrates Allege Italian Sources of Funding for Hamas,” BBC Monitoring Europe – Political,

August 21, 2006.

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Belgium has been successful at preserving the Al-Aqsa Foundation in Europe following the

cessation of operations in Germany and the Netherlands.

The record of the Brotherhood operations in Brussels is more mixed. Beyond

sponsoring a youth conference under the auspices of the Council of Europe, the Ligue

Islamique Interculturelle De Belgique does not appear to have succeeded in gaining

recognition from any governmental organizations and the Belgian government does appear

to have succeeded in keeping the Brotherhood out of the government-sponsored Muslim

council by screening the members for extremist backgrounds.160 This is in sharp contrast to

France, for example, where the government sponsored elections resulted in a dominant role

for the Muslim Brotherhood organization there. Although, as this report has documented,

the Belgian Brotherhood has recently created a series of new national organizations, it is not

clear that any of them has yet been particularly active or successful.

Far more successful have been the Belgian-based components of the Federation of

Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), particularly the Forum of European Muslim Youth and

Student Organizations (FEMYSO), which have managed to achieve official status at the UN,

as well as with the Council of Europe and the European Commission. In addition, the location

of the FIOE national office in Brussels has resulted in elevating the status of the Belgian

branch that recently reported becoming “very active.” Leading the FIOE office in Brussels is

Bassem Hatahet, whose name appears on virtually all of the paperwork associated with the

Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Belgian. This would appear to confirm Mr. Hatahet’s

role as the most important figure in the Belgian Brotherhood as reported by the Belgian

security services.

160

http://eycb.coe.int/eycbwwwroot/hre/eng/LTTCDC/LTTCDC_participants_projects/haoua.htm.

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Appendix 1

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  • 29 Apr 2008, 9:03 AM PYL wrote:
    This "Steve Merley" is totally unknown, he has no other publication. The whole report is a mere compilation without a serious analysis.
    Reply to this
    1. 1 May 2008, 9:14 PM Johnathan Miller wrote:
      "This "Steve Merley" is totally unknown, he has no other publication"

      What has this to do with anything. Maybe he is writing under another name, maybe he doesn't usually publish, who cares?

      2)"The whole report is a mere compilation without a serious analysis."

      He says in the beginning his goal is to layout the structure of the Brotherhood in Belgium which he does by compiling the important information. What did you want, War and Peace?
      Reply to this
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