A German politician is calling for an investigation to identify the structures and networks surrounding international aid group Islamic Relief to "nip seditious sentiments in the bud".
The German Interior Ministry stopped funding Islamic Relief Worldwide (IRW) and Islamic Relief Deutschland (IRD), citing “significant connections” to the Muslim Brotherhood.
The vice chairman of Germany's Free Democratic Party in the Bundestag, Stephan Thomae, who sits on the security committee, told The National the Muslim Brotherhood is a danger and that Islamic Relief has a long way to go.
His warnings come after months of scandals faced by IRW, with the resignations of three senior figures from its UK headquarters over anti-Semitism and posts supporting Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood.
"Despite the steps already taken by Islamic Relief to counter allegations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood – the Federal Government still assumes the existence of significant personal links to the Muslim Brotherhood or allied organisations,” he said.
“This shows that Islamic Relief's work is only just beginning.
“The Muslim Brotherhood is pursuing anti-constitutional goals in a planned and determined fashion. What makes the Muslim Brotherhood so dangerous is that it is not a centralised organisation; it is a wide international network of individuals and associations that are formally independent and deny any connections to the Brotherhood.
“The threat posed by extremist and subversive tendencies does not only begin to exist once they have achieved a certain size or can be clearly linked to concrete terrorist attacks, our liberal democracies must aim to recognise such tendencies early on, identify structures and networks, dismantle them and nip seditious tendencies in the bud.”
The German Foreign Office cut IRD’s funding and said it will receive a final payment in January "to be able to guarantee the delivery of urgently needed medicines" to hospitals in Syria.
Mr Thomae said the government needs to be vigilant.
“Once a breeding ground for extremism has become established, it is only a matter of time until radicalised lone wolves actually carry out attacks, in which they feel underpinned by support from a broad body of sympathisers,” he said.
The managing director of IRD, Tarek Abdelalem, told German news site Handelsblatt that the charity is doing everything it can to reassure the German government.
"We are doing everything within our means to create clarity and hope for the support of the federal government,” he said.
“We hope that in the future we will be able to carry out projects such as the health project in north-west Syria with the support of the Federal Foreign Office.”
In 2014, IRW was banned by the UAE because of its perceived links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
What is graphene?
Graphene is a single layer of carbon atoms arranged like honeycomb.
It was discovered in 2004, when Russian-born Manchester scientists Andrei Geim and Kostya Novoselov were "playing about" with sticky tape and graphite - the material used as "lead" in pencils.
Placing the tape on the graphite and peeling it, they managed to rip off thin flakes of carbon. In the beginning they got flakes consisting of many layers of graphene. But as they repeated the process many times, the flakes got thinner.
By separating the graphite fragments repeatedly, they managed to create flakes that were just one atom thick. Their experiment had led to graphene being isolated for the very first time.
At the time, many believed it was impossible for such thin crystalline materials to be stable. But examined under a microscope, the material remained stable, and when tested was found to have incredible properties.
It is many times times stronger than steel, yet incredibly lightweight and flexible. It is electrically and thermally conductive but also transparent. The world's first 2D material, it is one million times thinner than the diameter of a single human hair.
But the 'sticky tape' method would not work on an industrial scale. Since then, scientists have been working on manufacturing graphene, to make use of its incredible properties.
In 2010, Geim and Novoselov were awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics. Their discovery meant physicists could study a new class of two-dimensional materials with unique properties.
UK-EU trade at a glance
EU fishing vessels guaranteed access to UK waters for 12 years
Co-operation on security initiatives and procurement of defence products
Youth experience scheme to work, study or volunteer in UK and EU countries
Smoother border management with use of e-gates
Cutting red tape on import and export of food
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
'Morbius'
Director: Daniel Espinosa
Stars: Jared Leto, Matt Smith, Adria Arjona
Rating: 2/5
IF YOU GO
The flights: FlyDubai offers direct flights to Catania Airport from Dubai International Terminal 2 daily with return fares starting from Dh1,895.
The details: Access to the 2,900-metre elevation point at Mount Etna by cable car and 4x4 transport vehicle cost around €57.50 (Dh248) per adult. Entry into Teatro Greco costs €10 (Dh43). For more go to www.visitsicily.info
Where to stay: Hilton Giardini Naxos offers beachfront access and accessible to Taormina and Mount Etna. Rooms start from around €130 (Dh561) per night, including taxes.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
Scores
Wales 74-24 Tonga
England 35-15 Japan
Italy 7-26 Australia
