Muslim Brotherhood-aligned networks in Canada are not operating as isolated groups, but as part of a coordinated strategy to gain influence across government, civil society and higher education, the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) claimed in its new report.
ISGAP is a research and advocacy institute focused on antisemitism and extremism. It has produced reports examining antisemitism, political Islam and foreign influence.
The new 200-page report alleges that Muslim Brotherhood-aligned networks in Canada should be understood not as isolated organizations but as "part of a structured transnational strategy of ideological entrenchment, institutional embedding, narrative control, and political and legal protection.”
The report does not accuse all Muslim organizations or Canadian Muslims generally, saying its focus is “Islamism as a political ideology” rather than Islam as a religion.
A core finding of the report is that the Muslim Brotherhood's strategy in Canada operates through four mutually reinforcing domains.
Islamism, institutional embedding, political mobilization, legal manipulation
The first is narrative development, through which the framing of Islam, Islamism, the Palestinian cause, and Islamophobia shapes public discourse, especially in relation to Israel and its legitimacy.
The second is institutional embedding, including interconnected infrastructures across mosques, charities, schools, universities, advocacy organizations, student groups, and professional networks.
The third is policy impact and political mobilization, through which institutional presence and narrative influence are translated into coalition building, advisory roles, and policy outcomes.
The fourth is what ISGAP describes as “legal framework manipulation,” including litigation, procedural challenges, and reputational pressure.
ISGAP said these domains operate as a single system, each reinforcing the others and collectively advancing long-term entrenchment.
Muslim Brotherhood in Canadian universities
Higher education is a particular focus of the report. ISGAP argues that universities have become a central arena for foreign funding, ideological influence and narrative shaping.
Across case studies involving the University of Toronto, York University, Toronto Metropolitan University and the University of Waterloo, ISGAP raises concerns about foreign-funding transparency, disclosure of research agreements, research with potential dual-use applications, and the use of university campuses for political mobilization and advocacy.
The report refers to the University of Toronto as a "central node in the development and dissemination of anti-Israel and related narratives." For example, Israeli Apartheid Week originated at UofT, and the university hosted one of the largest encampments in North America following October 7.
ISGAP says the institutional environment includes interconnected student organizations such as the Muslim Students’ Association (MSA), Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP), and the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM), operating in conjunction with faculty and funding (i.e., the University of Toronto Faculty Association (UTFA), which voted in favor of divestment from Israel).
The MSA was established in 1963 by Muslim Brotherhood members and associates and is named in the Brotherhood's 1991 Explanatory Memorandum. MSA National says it has chapters at more than 600 colleges and universities across North America, including Canada, and the report describes collaboration between MSA, SJP, and PYM. The organizations have also received support and resources from American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), according to ISGAP. AMP's leadership has included figures associated with organizations identified during the Holy Land Foundation case as part of a US-based Hamas-support network.
UofT was identified as a significant site of Qatari-linked academic engagement. Research funded by the Qatar National Research Fund (QNRF) includes projects in the fields of solar energy, corrosion modeling, carbon systems, and secure communications.
This is relevant, as ISGAP refers to the Muslim Brotherhood patronage as a "cornerstone of Qatar’s foreign and domestic policy."
Similar conclusions were drawn about Toronto Metropolitan University (TMU), which signed a memorandum of understanding with the Qatar-owned University of Doha for Science and Technology encompassing joint academic programming, research collaboration, and a business incubator operated jointly with TMU’s Digital Media Zone.
At the University of Waterloo (UW), Qatari state-linked research funding exceeds C$3.8 million across projects in smart grid systems, energy infrastructure, high-voltage insulation, and hydrocarbon-related environmental systems aligned with Qatar’s national priorities.
ISGAP argues that the combination of Qatari funding, limited disclosure, and the presence of organizations it identifies as part of the Muslim Brotherhood's broader ideological network presents a potential avenue for foreign and ideological influence, including antisemitic incitement.
Political mobilization and Canada’s elections
The ISGAP report also argues that political mobilization around Israel and the Palestinian issue has become a significant channel through which Islamist-linked networks seek influence within Canadian politics.
ISGAP argues that concerns about Islamophobia and discrimination have sometimes been used to push back against scrutiny.
It cites the long-running CRA audit of the Muslim Association of Canada, which it says responded to regulatory scrutiny by framing the audit as Islamophobia. The report also acknowledges a 2025 review by Canada's National Security and Intelligence Review Agency, which found a lack of rigor in the CRA's audit-selection process and risks of bias and discrimination in its scrutiny of Muslim charities.
The report examines several organizations involved in Muslim political engagement in Canada, including advocacy groups and community organizations, and argues that some have developed networks capable of influencing candidates, policymakers and public debate.
ISGAP recommends greater transparency around political advocacy, foreign funding and organizational affiliations, arguing that democratic institutions must balance freedom of expression with safeguards against foreign influence and extremist ideologies.
It also calls on the Canadian Government to coordinate its approach to monitor and confront the entryism of Muslim Brotherhood-linked networks with the United States Federal Government.
“Canada’s challenge is not simply the presence of individual extremist voices or isolated institutional weakness," said Dr Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of ISGAP. "The report maps how interconnected ideological networks acquire legitimacy, institutional access, public funding, political influence, and protection from scrutiny."
“Canadian democracy is built on openness, robust notions of citizenship, pluralism, civil liberties, and public trust. These principles must not be exploited to shield foreign influence, ideological entryism, antisemitism, or efforts to weaken democratic accountability. Canada requires a coordinated response based on transparency, institutional due diligence, and national security awareness and enforcement.”