The Federation of Islamic Organizations In Europe (FIOE), representing the European Muslim Brotherhood, held its Shura (leadership) Council meeting held in Istanbul during early January. According to a FIOE statement:
The Shoura Council of the Federation of Islamic Organisations in Europe (FIOE), with the blessing and aid of Allah, held its second ordinary meeting of the Federation’s ninth term in the city of Istanbul from 6-9 January 2011 (1-4 Safar 1432H). The meeting was attended by Federation officials, representatives of member organisations from around the Continent, and a number of esteemed guests. The Council deliberated over the Executive Office’s proposed plan for the current term, in striving for continued institutional development, and reinforced contribution by the Federation and its institutions in the areas of social presence, and development of positive participation, while opening up opportunities for the youth, strengthening women’s and girls’ participation in the various levels of Federation work, and widening the circle of cooperation and coordination, as well as reinforcing participation in social dialogue, in continuing to strive to serve the best interests of Muslims around the European continent, and the public interest of European societies and nations. The Council discussed and endorsed this ambitious plan, including specific comments, in the hope that it would pave the way to further achievements, and improvements in performance, projects and programmes, with the aid and blessing of Allah. The Council also issued several resolutions and recommendations, aiming for further development in the work of the Federation, and greater improvement in the actual state of its institutions on a variety of levels; measures that would achieve fruitful interaction between member organisations, and exchange of expertise, and experiences among them.
At the close of deliberations, focusing on the performance of the Federation and its institutions, the state of affairs in Europe and that of Muslims on the continent, as well as relevant issues and concerns, the Council, praise to Allah, came to the following conclusions:
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Holding the FIOE meeting in Istanbul is consistent with recent developments in the Global Muslim Brotherhood. As a report on the Gaze Flotilla recently issued by the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs (JCPA) concluded:
Since 2006, Turkey has become a new center for the Global Muslim Brotherhood, while the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip acted as the main axis for this activity. The AKP allowed key elements of the Global Muslim Brotherhood, and above all the International Union of Muslim Scholars, led by Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi, to operate freely on Turkish territory, with its active support, as witnessed by the large number of conferences held recently in Istanbul and sponsored and/or attended by Global Muslim Brotherhood leaders.
A report on FIOE by the NEFA Foundation describes the organization as follows:
The Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) claims to be an independent organization representing the interests of Muslims in Europe. In reality, the FIOE is an umbrella group that comprises the global Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. Strong links connect FIOE’s leadership central institutions and member organizations to the Brotherhood, as well as to Saudi Arabia. Funding for the FIOE is derived largely from Gulf sources, including some of the ruling families of the United Arab Emirates. The FIOE has strong ties to Hamas and Hamas fund-raising organizations, and some FIOE member organizations show evidence of links with Al-Qaida. The FIOE recently opened a headquarters office in Brussels and has had some success in positioning itself as a “dialog partner” for the EU and other important institutions.