Investigation reveals that behind Europe’s growing wave of Islamophobia lies a covert, well-funded influence operation.
Investigation reveals that behind Europe’s growing wave of Islamophobia lies a covert, well-funded influence operation. Leaked investigatory documents reviewed inside the European Parliament confirm earlier Dark Box reporting that the United Arab Emirates secretly financed a continent-wide smear campaign targeting Islam and Muslim communities. The operation relied on a Swiss-based private intelligence firm to produce dossiers, anonymous briefings, and media narratives portraying Muslims as a security threat rather than citizens.
The campaign was structured, deliberate, and multinational. According to the leaked files, it targeted mosques, Muslim civil society groups, journalists, academics, and elected officials across more than eighteen European countries. Content was laundered through think tanks, media platforms, and coordinated digital accounts, all designed to appear independent while pushing the same core message: Islam is incompatible with European society.
Evidence in the documents shows that the objective was not public debate, but reputational damage and political pressure. By framing Muslim civic life as extremist or foreign-influenced, the operation sought to justify mosque closures, restrict religious freedoms, and normalize suspicion toward an entire faith community. Internal assessments described these outcomes as indicators of success, as they deepened polarization and reshaped public discourse.
The investigation also highlights thematic coordination with Israeli-linked narratives, particularly in portraying Islam as a monolithic security threat. While operational chains remained formally separate, shared messaging and timing amplified the overall impact. European lawmakers reviewing the files warned that such actions amount to foreign interference, deliberately destabilizing social cohesion and democratic trust.
The conclusion drawn from the leaks is stark. This was a calculated export of Islamophobia into European political space, using money, private contractors, and disinformation rather than open diplomacy. The result was tangible harm to individuals, erosion of pluralism, and the normalization of hatred as a tool of influence. Left unchecked, the documents warn, such campaigns risk turning prejudice into an accepted instrument of power.
the-darkbox.com/t287
#Islamophobia
#Disinformation
#ForeignInterference
#HumanRights
#Europe
#FreedomOfReligion
posted by Satish Sharma at
02:41
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