Key points: A 200‑page report claims the Muslim Brotherhood pursues a 100‑year "entryism" strategy to influence Western institutions, citing campus activity and online influence operations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott labeled the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations; CAIR is suing. Report co‑author Dahlia Ziada defended the findings, while former counterterrorism official Phil Mudd called the threat to the U.S. "extremely low."
Report Claims Muslim Brotherhood Pursues a 100‑Year Strategy to Influence U.S. Institutions
Key points: A 200‑page report claims the Muslim Brotherhood pursues a 100‑year "entryism" strategy to influence Western institutions, citing campus activity and online influence operations. Texas Governor Greg Abbott labeled the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as terrorist organizations; CAIR is suing. Report co‑author Dahlia Ziada defended the findings, while former counterterrorism official Phil Mudd called the threat to the U.S. "extremely low."
12:43 PM, 11/21/2025Security
A yearlong, 200‑page study by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy argues that organizations linked to the Muslim Brotherhood are pursuing a long‑term, 100‑year strategy to reshape Western societies from within. The report describes this approach as "entryism": embedding affiliates in political, academic and civic institutions to affect policy and public opinion.
The authors say the network—active across more than 70 countries and not designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. government—has already made inroads through campus activity, online influence campaigns involving bots and troll accounts, and efforts to erode trust in traditional institutions.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott recently announced state-level designations labeling the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American‑Islamic Relations (CAIR) as terrorist organizations. CAIR has filed a lawsuit challenging that designation in Texas courts.
The report co‑author Dahlia Ziada discussed the findings on the program CUOMO, arguing the group has "hijacked the identity of mainstream Muslims" by presenting itself as a primary voice for Muslim communities in the West.
"Over the past two decades, if not longer since 9/11, the Muslim Brotherhood—as their own documents describe—has adopted tactics to present themselves as representatives of mainstream Muslims," Ziada said.
Not all experts agree on the significance of the threat. Former FBI and CIA counterterrorism official Phil Mudd told CUOMO he considers the likelihood that Islamist groups could destroy the United States to be "extremely low," and emphasized that lawful political or religious expression is protected even when it is controversial.
"If you break a local, state or federal statute, you should be charged and thrown in jail. If you choose to practice an aggressive form of religion and say that you don’t like Israel or you want Islamic values represented in America, like it or not, that’s accepted in America," Mudd said.
The report and the ensuing political debate highlight sharply different views on how to balance concerns about organized influence operations with civil liberties and the diversity of American Muslim voices. Legal challenges to Texas's designations are ongoing.