Austria moves to outlaw political Islam and target Muslim Brotherhood groups

Austria's government intends to introduce a constitutional provision that would criminalise political Islam, with the aim of preventing groups like the Muslim Brotherhood from operating domestically. Chancellor Christian Stocker stressed that religious belief is protected, but political exploitation of faith must be met with strict opposition. Integration Minister Claudia Bauer echoed the stance, labeling radical Islam as the foremost danger to Western democratic values and gender equality.

The country's Directorate of State Security and Intelligence has identified the Muslim Brotherhood as a key actor seeking to embed Sharia-oriented policies in Western societies. Following accusations that the Brotherhood infiltrated the DERAD deradicalisation association, the Interior Ministry stripped DERAD of its official status. A French intelligence dossier from last year described a decades-long “Western conquest strategy” by the Brotherhood, noting Austria and Germany as early footholds. The move comes amid a rise in recorded Islamic extremist incidents, with 306 acts reported last year and numerous raids and arrests.