Lorenzo G. Vidino - Knowledge (XXG)

446:, has repeatedly criticized Vidino on Twitter: "In the controversy about the Muslim Brotherhood, much is reminiscent of radical conspiracy-theoretical submissions with which Freemasons, socialists, and communists were fought in the 19th century. Lorenzo Vidino wraps them here in a pseudo-scientific garment in order to 'prove' that a small 'leadership clique' (30 people) is acting 'underground' to destabilize Central European society and to disseminate 'background content for assassins'. He sees the Muslim Brotherhood as a secret society that wants to infiltrate not only Islam but the West in general. Such absurd allegations obscure politicians' view of the problems associated with the crisis caused by religious disintegration. A policy that seeks to counteract this disintegration does not need heavily right-wing stereotypical conspiracy theories but rather a broad civil society alliance of both Muslim and non-Muslim institutions and personalities that helps counteract religious disintegration through targeted programs". 480:: "If my work is flawed and has caused you damage, why don't you sue me? It's just general criticism, personal attacks and empty legal threats; that's quite revealing to me." Anas Schakfeh, former president of the Islamic Religious Community in Austria, commented that "U.S. residents can hardly be sued in Austria". In addition, he asked whether "not being sued proves the claim wrong". Muslim Youth Austria (MJÖ) refrained from filing a lawsuit because Vidino resides in the US, and thus a lawsuit in Austria is "practically impossible". In addition, MJÖ cited a decision of the 413:, he provides the invaluable service of letting those who have left the movement speak for themselves. What they say should enlighten and alarm anyone who thinks the Brotherhood is moderate, a firewall against extremism, or genuinely committed to democratic pluralism. Policy makers need to read it—and then read it again.” 1366: 420:

said that "Vidino's interviews reveal a patient organization that markets itself as moderate but sometimes acts like a sinister and dangerous cult. The Brotherhood requires subtle analysis, and Vidino provides just that—neither overstating its threat nor accepting its claims to be a benign fraternal

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concluded in 2021 that new policies and the existing code of conduct should prevent similar problems from recurring. Meanwhile, based on a review of the evidence, the governments of Germany and the Netherlands stopped funding IRW, and the US issued a public condemnation of the organization's

305:, Vidino promised to pass on information he received from European intelligence agencies. The next month, Vidino wrote that "many of the names on the list come indeed straight from various meetings with German intel." In total, as of April 2020, Vidino had billed 13,000 euros for his work. 243:

IRW acknowledged the authenticity and problematic nature of the posts, issued a formal apology, and removed the trustee. The following month, they announced that their entire board of trustees would resign and be replaced. An independent UK commission headed by former attorney general

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published an investigation in July 2023, stating that Alp Services benefited from the fact that Vidino was able to establish contacts with quality media. Information received by Alp Services from Vidino was subsequently forwarded to the UAE intelligence services. These lists included

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Some critics have claimed that Vidino's research "promotes conspiracy theories about the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and the United States" and leads to the criminalization of Muslim civil society. This criticism was levied by the Bridge Initiative, a research group housed at

1418:"Wenn meine Arbeit fehlerhaft ist und ihnen Schaden zugefügt hat: Warum verklagen sie mich dann nicht? Es handelt sich nur um allgemeine Kritik, persönliche Angriffe und leere rechtliche Drohungen: Das ist für mich ziemlich enthüllend." Daniel Bischof: 431:

stated: “This book is the first of its kind. Well-conceived and highly original, the Closed Circle provides a new analytical framework for thinking about and conceptualizing the reasons for why people have chosen to leave the Muslim Brotherhood.”

439:, which features interviews with six former Brotherhood members in Western countries, noted the "misplaced" suspicion Vidino puts on the Brotherhood and contested his claim that the Brotherhood seeks the gradual creation of a caliphate. 106:, the U.S. Institute of Peace, the RAND Corporation, and the Center for Security Studies (ETH Zurich). From 2016 to 2018, he served as Italy’s Coordinator of the National Commission on Jihadist Radicalization, under the governments of 264:

Vidino has written four books, a number of congressional testimonies, and numerous articles in several prominent newspapers and academic journals. His main subject is the Muslim Brotherhood, which he describes as "a modern day

293:. According to the article, he was invited to Geneva in January 2018 for a "thousand-dollar dinner" in order to recruit him as a consultant for the agency. Two weeks later, Vidino signed a contract worth 3,000 euros with 458:, stated on Twitter that Vidino's work "has been used to justify the criminalization of Muslim civil society across Europe". In the tweet, Tazamal referred to the Austrian government's use of Vidino's work to justify 323:

also has also written about the connections between Vidino and the UAE. It has mentioned that Vidino appears as an expert on the website of the Emirati think tank Trends Research. According to the Austrian magazine

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published a comprehensive fact sheet about Vidino, claiming that his "research promotes conspiracy theories about the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe and the United States". The initiative's associate director,

1233: 462:, the largest police operation in Austria since 1945 (later declared "unlawful" by the courts), which raided the homes of nearly seventy families active in Austrian Muslim associations, including 839: 484:, in which it is stated that the "assessment in the Scholz/Heinisch expert opinion, which is based, among other things, on the Vidino study and afterthoughts, is inadequate as evidence". 1638: 1633: 1004: 168: 103: 256:, an organization that co-published a highly disputed "Islam map", an overview of locations and affiliations of more than 600 mosques and Muslim associations in Austria. 1283: 978: 735: 314:, Vidino supplied rumors, company names, investigation documents, and lists of names of suspected members of the Muslim Brotherhood in a total of 13 countries. 409:, who in 2014 led the UK government review of the Muslim Brotherhood, said that “Lorenzo Vidino is a distinguished scholar of the Muslim Brotherhood. In 366:, more than 13 media outlets from 13 countries have now published research on Vidino on this subject, under the name "Abu Dhabi Secrets". These include 1419: 847: 1573: 1351: 761: 626: 599: 572: 363: 344: 799: 1486: 1310: 1161: 289:

in March 2023 about Vidino's connections to the private intelligence agency Alp Services, which had previously been contracted by the

949: 183: 1188: 330:, Vidino also sits on the Abu Dhabi-based think tank Hedayah, which is mainly chaired by representatives of the ruling family. 385:

A result of this reporting has been that two scholars, Hilary Matfess and Cynthia Millier-Idriss (professor of sociology at

643: 1628: 367: 1603: 224:. In 2020, Vidino also allegedly provided derogatory information to a British journalist on behalf of Alp about the NGO 193:

In 2016–17, Vidino coordinated Italy's National Commission on Jihadist Radicalization, appointed by then-prime minister

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operatives in Europe. The intelligence firm, Alp Services, reportedly collected this information as part of a "

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and Jennings Randolph Peace Scholar at the US Institute of Peace. In 2010–11, he was a visiting fellow at the

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In 2014, Vidino served as an expert for the UK government’s official review of the Muslim Brotherhood.

130: 1592: 234:, Brero had paid Vidino more than thirteen thousand euros. The information was included in a report by 455: 1055: 459: 298: 290: 217: 1005:"Leading European MP calls for halt to Islamic Relief funding over alleged Muslim Brotherhood links" 662: 386: 1284:"Professors cut ties with US university, citing director's reported role targeting Muslim groups" 443: 394: 348: 209: 164: 92: 1563: 840:""Islamisti d'Occidente. Storie di Fratelli Musulmani in Europa e in America" di Lorenzo Vidino" 1343:

Editorial Reviews for The Closed Circle: Joining and Leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in the West

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Editorial Reviews for The Closed Circle: Joining and Leaving the Muslim Brotherhood in the West

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in exchange for information about the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe. In addition, according to

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engaged in a sort of stealth subversion aimed at weakening Western society from within."

1029: 359:, de Vries explained that he had been deceived about the true identity of Alp Services. 1422: 476: 285: 245: 230: 225: 213: 1258: 786: 1612: 890:"Facebook Posts by Heshmat Khalifa, Trustee and Director of Islamic Relief Worldwide" 240:

that showed a pattern of antisemitic social media posting by one of IRW's trustees.

979:"Germany cuts funding for Islamic Relief aid group over ties to Muslim Brotherhood" 471: 428: 266: 194: 107: 1056:"Muslim groups in Austria fear attacks after government publishes map of mosques" 463: 421:

order. An essential contribution to our understanding of Islamism in the West."

340: 334: 294: 201: 148: 869: 814:"Dr. Lorenzo Vidino – Program on Extremism – The George Washington University" 176: 1067: 927: 474:. In response to criticism, Vidino stated in a September 2022 interview with 352: 319: 236: 1597: 1088: 813: 537:"Vidino, Lorenzo | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University" 536: 950:"Independent Commission into Governance and Vetting within Islamic Relief" 1565: