Canada was among the earliest countries to move in the same direction as a proposal later advanced by the US Congress Foreign Affairs Committee, backed by the Trump administration, to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. Canada’s approach came as part of a wider effort to limit the influence of extremist Islamist groups and curb radical activity, particularly after a wave of radicalisation among university students in 2014, when several young Canadians left to join Islamic State in Syria and Iraq.
The government responded with a package of counter-terrorism legislation, though these efforts met strong resistance from Islamic networks of mosques, clerics and religious organisations, which used the same strategies familiar from countries scarred by terrorism and ideological polarisation.
Emotional religious messaging was used to rally Muslims and raise fears about threats to constitutional rights in a country built on pluralism, respect for differing beliefs and protection for minorities. Clerics warned that counter-terror laws would allow intelligence agencies greater access to Muslim activities, calling this a form of “reverse terrorism”. The debate triggered mass protests in major cities in 2015, with large numbers of non-Muslim Canadians joining calls to ensure that the fight against terrorism remained firmly within democratic boundaries.
Those who best understand extremist groups are often clerics and Islamic institutions themselves. They know these organisations have long claimed to speak for Muslims as a single, uniform bloc. In reality, Muslims in Canada represent a wide range of traditions and views, from moderation to strict conservatism, including takfiri and jihadist trends. All, however, live under the Canadian constitution. Yet some of the louder organisations continue to rely on pressure tactics and moral intimidation to silence opposing Muslim voices, benefiting from wide and overlapping connections with political, administrative and security circles.
As more governments around the world introduce laws to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, Canada has renewed its long-standing aim of limiting extremism and placing the Brotherhood on terrorism lists. Officials describe the organisation as having a multi-layered, octopus-like structure that allows it to embed itself within Muslim communities and amplify its influence. In this context, several meetings and events were held in the Canadian parliament, including a session on 29 October 2025 discussing hostile foreign influence.
Another conference in Ottawa, organised by official institutions with the Global Imams Council and the Trends Research and Advisory organisation, focused on the role of knowledge in combating extremism and promoting peaceful coexistence. It also stressed the need to support moderate religious leaders to highlight Islam’s tolerance and build trust between Muslims and wider Canadian society.
Muslims themselves did not grow up practising democracy in their original countries, many of which claimed to apply “Islamic law” while enforcing political repression and religious control. Many fled to Canada to escape military dictatorships and religious authoritarianism. Yet their situation there was not always simple. Brotherhood-aligned groups and hard-line religious movements quickly tried to follow them with ideological intimidation, using “Islamophobia” as a tool to oppose the new laws. In this context, the Islamic Council in Calgary, Alberta, held a press conference on 3 December 2025, organised by the Muslim Public Affairs Council, with speakers from the Palestinian House and independent Jewish voices, using emotional arguments to oppose the anti-terrorism law while avoiding its central goal, namely safeguarding the security of the entire Canadian public.
What most alarmed these groups was not only the prospect of the Brotherhood being designated as a terrorist organisation, but also the expectation of full financial scrutiny, including tracking funding sources, reviewing Islamic charities, zakat bodies and donation-based organisations, and monitoring expenditure and transparency in educational and community activities. This includes organisations aligned with the Brotherhood, where risks range from money laundering to supporting extremist movements. Financial oversight is becoming a decisive step in limiting the Brotherhood’s political and financial influence in both Canada and the US.
This stage is significant because it reshapes the relationship between Islamic institutions and the Canadian state on clearer foundations, separating ordinary religious activity from any political or ideological use. It also allows Muslims themselves to redefine their public presence within a transparent and balanced legal framework, free from attempts at monopolising representation that some organisations have practised for years.
