Qatar is spending millions on Islamist projects in Poland. It’s not surprising that a new “mega-mosque” is currently…

Qatar is spending millions on Islamist projects in Poland. It’s not surprising that a new “mega-mosque” is currently being built in Strasbourg, the second capital of the European Union, and home to a large Muslim population. But why is Qatar funding Islamist projects in Poland, a Catholic country and a homogeneous society? Qatar notices what is changing in Poland, and it is preparing for what might be coming next. 🧵 1/8

Even though Poland rejected mass illegal migration, it has a growing number of legal Muslim migrants. In 2024, Poland issued 94,103 work permits to citizens of six Muslim-majority countries. There is also the growing concern that Poland will be forced to accept migrants relocated by Brussels. Poland’s current exemption from the EU’s relocation mechanism will expire at the end of 2026. 🧵 2/8

The Muslim Brotherhood is already in Poland. In 2015, the largest Islamic center in Poland was built in Warsaw. It was funded by the Muslim League, whose former president, Samir Ismail, is linked to figures associated with Hamas. It’s important to draw a distinction between the Muslim League and the Muslim Religious Union. The latter represents the historic Muslim minority community known as the Polish Tatars, who have lived among the Polish people since the 14th century. Unlike the Polish Tatars, the Muslim League was founded by Arab immigrants who felt the existing organization did not represent their version of Islam. 🧵 3/8

The Muslim League in Poland was a member of the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE), which numerous European governments have consistently described as the Muslim Brotherhood’s umbrella organization in Europe. Samir Ismail, who led the organization in Poland, was listed as the chairman of FIOE’s education section on their website in 2009, according to Rzeczpospolita. In the same three-person working group, he was listed together with Walid Abu Shawarib, whom Der Spiegel said is considered the head of Hamas in Germany in Islamic circles, and who was investigated by the German authorities for connections to terrorism. 🧵 4/8

Islamists did not fund a mosque in Warsaw just for Muslims to pray in. They funded an Islamist-controlled complex, which critics argue acts as the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Eastern Europe. Just like those in France and elsewhere in the West, the one in Warsaw includes a cultural and educational center, all designed to create a parallel society and foster a generation of European Muslims who adhere to the Brotherhood’s ideology. 🧵 5/8

This is facilitated by generous donations from Islamists in places like Qatar and Turkey. But it is also encouraged by European leftists, through what has been described as an “unholy alliance.” When Polish patriots protested the new Islamist center in Warsaw, they were met by counter-protesters from the left-wing group Worker’s Democracy, who chanted slogans such as “Stop fascism” and “Stop intolerance.” Ironically, these same people, who often advocate for Islamists, also support women’s rights and LGBTQ+. In a society governed by the Muslim Brotherhood, women have no rights, and gay people are thrown off buildings. 🧵 6/8

We know from leaked Qatar Charity documents that Qatar funded at least six Islamic projects in Poland to the tune of €2 million, but the true extent of Qatar’s involvement is arguably much greater. The Muslim Brotherhood’s European network is deliberately decentralized and consists of hundreds of groups, charities, mosques, and youth organizations. Because money moves through several layers of intermediaries and local partners, it is hard to estimate the full extent of Qatar’s involvement in Polish affairs. 🧵 7/8

Qatar knows what it is doing. While Islamists fund projects in Catholic countries like Poland and Croatia (where Qatar funded the construction of a large mosque in Rijeka), Christians are not allowed to build places of worship in Qatar. Poland resisted the first major assault on its national sovereignty since the end of communism when, in 2015, it refused to accept illegal migrants. Since then, it has become a model for the rest of Europe: “Protect your borders. Be like Poland!” What Poland does next will determine whether it remains a safe, high-trust society or suffers the same fate as countries to the west, where a Christmas market looks more like an airport security checkpoint and a once-peaceful suburb is turned into a “no-go zone.” 🧵 8/8