DID Press: The sixth annual TRENDS Forum on Political Islam is scheduled to take place in London on September 8 and Paris on September 10, bringing together policymakers, parliamentarians, academics and researchers to discuss Europe’s approach to the Muslim Brotherhood and the broader challenges associated with political Islam.
The forum is being organized by TRENDS Research & Advisory, in partnership with TRENDS Global. The London session will be held at the House of Lords, while the Paris session will take place at the Palais du Luxembourg. Organizers say the event will bring together more than 50 speakers, including members of the British Parliament and French Senate.
According to the organizers, discussions will focus on the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, national and international responses to Islamist extremism, strengthening European coordination, countering terrorist financing, and the future of online Islamist movements and preventive measures.
Mohammed Abdullah Al Ali, CEO of TRENDS Research & Advisory, said the forum would go beyond conventional political debate by seeking research-based and practical approaches to what he described as the ideological, digital, financial and political dimensions of the Muslim Brotherhood.
Al Ali has previously argued that political Islam, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, has evolved beyond what he describes as a direct security challenge into an institutional and intellectual challenge that can influence educational, cultural and civil-society institutions.
Mohammed Al-Sulami, described as the director-general of TRENDS Research & Advisory, said the organization’s parliamentary events in Europe reflect years of research on political Islam and that the Muslim Brotherhood has become an issue receiving increased attention from European institutions.
Hamad Al-Hasani, head of the Terrorism and Extremism Studies Department at TRENDS Research & Advisory, said the forum aims to develop a practical roadmap for greater European coordination and responses to alleged networks of influence and extremist narratives.
The forum is part of TRENDS’ broader research and policy engagement in Europe. The organization has previously held events in European parliamentary settings addressing the Muslim Brotherhood, political Islam and extremist financing.