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Around 50 European imams convened in Brussels on Thursday to call for continent-wide action to push back against the spread of radical Islamism.
The forum, held at the European Parliament headquarters in the Belgian capital, was organized by the Conference of European Imams, European Leadership Network (ELNET), French MEP Céline Imart, and Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM).
It came only days after Egpyt permanently placed the Muslim Brotherhood on its terrorist blacklist and just over a month following the European Parliament’s approval of a resolution, advanced by MEP Imart, calling for a coordinated EU strategy to “counter Islamist entryism and the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood.”
En direct du Parlement européen 🇪🇺 avec une délégation d’imams venus de toute l’Europe. Face à l’islamisme, nous ne céderons rien : c’est le combat que nous menons sans relâche avec @CombatASemitism !
Merci à @CelineImart, à l’imam @Imam1chalghoumi et à @ElnetFr d’être à nos côtés.
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) November 12, 2026
Addressing the gathering, CAM Executive Director of European Affairs Shannon Seban asked, “How many more examples will it take before Europe fully confronts the threats posed by Islamism, separatism, and the radicalization of young people?”
“Because for far too long,” she added, “we have confused openness with blindness. We have confused tolerance with surrender. We have believed that simply defending our values would be enough to ensure that everyone respected them. It is time to put an end to European naivety.”
L’islamisme est notre ennemi commun. Tant qu’il y aura des voix courageuses pour le dénoncer et le combattre, il y aura de l’espoir ! 🙏🏻 https://t.co/tnBxBcK9l3
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) November 12, 2026
Imam Hassen Chalghoumi, president of the Conference of European Imams, emphasized that European Muslims must take an active role in defending democracy, the rule of law, and freedom of conscience. He highlighted the fundamental distinction between Islam as a religion and Islamism as a political ideology, and called on European governments and Muslim communities to work together against extremism.
In her remarks, MEP Imart underscored the importance of political action at the European level.
Très émue d’avoir reçu le soutien de 40 imams venus de toute l’Europe, de différentes sensibilités de l’islam, dans mon combat contre l’entrisme islamiste et les Frères musulmans.
Votre volonté de porter haut et fort la voix des musulmans autour de @Imam1chalghoumi est une source d’inspiration.
Vos témoignages poignants sur la paix et le dialogue interreligieux avec le rabbin Avi Tawil (@EjccOfficial) et José Luis Bazán (@ComeceEu) sont indispensables pour défendre nos valeurs européennes.
Votre expertise @ManelMsalmi @ShannonSeban est indispensable pour lutter contre ce qui menace nos sociétés.
Fière de poursuivre le combat avec mes collègues @NicolasBay_ @TomasZdechovsky @s_cavedagna @ConstanceLeGrip— Céline Imart (@CelineImart) November 13, 2026
The event culminated on Thursday evening with a peace dinner at the Great Synagogue of Brussels, joined by rabbis, imams, and other religious leaders in a powerful gesture of interfaith unity.
The following day, on the 11th anniversary of the 2015 Paris terrorist attacks, commemorations were held at two symbolic locations in Brussels — the Maelbeek metro station that was targeted in a March 2016 suicide bombing and the Jewish Museum of Belgium, where four people were murdered by a jihadist gunman in May 2014.
The ceremonies honored the victims of the Paris attacks, as well as all victims of Islamist terrorism.
Participants included Brussels Secretary of State for Urban Planning, Territorial Development, Public Cleanliness and Energy Audrey Henry and U.S. Ambassador to Belgium Bill White.
À Bruxelles, aux côtés de la Secrétaire d’État Audrey Henry et de l’Ambassadeur Bill White, @USAmbToBelgium, nous avons rendu hommage aux victimes des attentats terroristes islamistes du 13 novembre 2015, ainsi qu’à toutes les victimes du terrorisme et à leurs familles.
Ensemble, plus forts. Unis par la mémoire, debout face à la haine.
@CombatASemitism @Imam1chalghoumi— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) November 13, 2026
While in Brussels, Seban also met with Boris Dilliès, former mayor of Uccle and current minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region.
🇧🇪🤝 Quel bonheur de retrouver aujourd’hui à Bruxelles @BorisDillies, ministre-président de la Région de Bruxelles-Capitale et ancien bourgmestre d’Uccle, engagé dans la lutte contre l’antisémitisme !
Boris avait notamment participé à notre Sommet des maires contre l’antisémitisme, organisé à Paris en 2025. @CombatASemitism
— Shannon Seban (@ShannonSeban) November 12, 2026
During a June visit to Abu Dhabi, where she met with top Emirati experts on extremism and counter-terrorism to discuss best approaches for tackling radical ideologies, Seban said, “The Western world is too naive to address the issue of the Muslim Brotherhood. Europe must wake up.”
At a Brussels roundtable hosted by CAM in March, Seban told an audience of MEPs, EU officials, and civil society representatives, “If we are serious about combating antisemitism in Europe, we must also be serious about confronting the ecosystems of extremism that enable it. This requires clarity, courage, and cooperation — across institutions, across countries, and across sectors.”
Earlier in the year, Seban traveled to Canada, where she called for the government to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization in a keynote address at a forum for national lawmakers in Ottawa.
Read more:
Op-Ed: A Lesson From the UAE on Why West Must Take Action Against Muslim Brotherhood
