Proponents of Political Islam in the European Union Institutions

Political Islam began to take root in Europe in the 1950s. Initially, Islamist leaders founded small associations in various cities, which were the seeds of a consolidated European network of political Islam. For decades, the European authorities paid no attention to the real dimension of Islamism, allowing the organizations of political Islam to develop their activities unhindered. Most governments accept the national Islamist federations as representatives of the entire Muslim community. Similarly, the EU includes the two supranational Islamist organizations, FIOE and FEMYSO, in its various initiatives to deal with religions. This friendly attitude toward political Islam changed after the Arab Spring, when the truly global dimension of political Islam was revealed. Nevertheless, organizations that follow the principles of political Islam in Europe are still predominant in most countries.