An Egyptian court has placed 35 organisations and 36 individuals on the country’s separate lists of terrorist entities and individuals for five years, in a decision involving associations and institutions operating across Europe.
The Cairo Criminal Court ruling was published on 10 November in a supplement to Egypt’s official gazette. It was issued in case number 11108 of 2026, registered with the Supreme State Security Prosecution.
The Council of European Muslims, a Brussels-based umbrella body, is among the organisations named. The decision also covers institutions concerned with religious guidance, education and community affairs. The individuals appear on a separate list from the organisations.
The council describes itself as an independent, non-governmental and non-profit body serving Muslim communities and encouraging participation in European society. It has previously rejected portrayals of its work as part of an extremist political project, including in relation to a French government report published in 2025. That earlier response was not a response to the new Egyptian decision.
What the Egyptian listing means
The five-year designation is a measure under Egyptian law. A listing is not itself a criminal conviction, and the specific conduct attributed to each individual or organisation has not been independently established.
Egypt’s listing law provides for restrictions on designated entities, including the prohibition of activities, closure of premises and limits on meetings and financing. It also provides for the freezing of covered funds and assets. For individuals, the law provides for measures that can include travel restrictions and asset freezes.
The practical effect on any particular organisation or person depends on the applicable legal provisions and their circumstances. The decision does not establish what assets, if any, a named organisation holds in Egypt, or whether a specific asset has been frozen.
Egyptian law also provides a route to challenge a listing before the Court of Cassation within 60 days of its publication. Whether any of the people or organisations covered by this decision intend to challenge it has not been established.
Separate rules in Europe and the UK
Some of the organisations covered by the Egyptian ruling operate in European countries. That does not mean the Egyptian designation automatically places them on a European Union or UK terrorist list. Each jurisdiction has its own legal framework and decision-making process.
The EU’s system allows its institutions to adopt and review restrictive measures against listed individuals and entities. In the UK, the Home Secretary has powers under the Terrorism Act 2000 to proscribe an organisation where the statutory test is met and proscription is considered proportionate. An Egyptian court order is not itself a UK proscription decision.
Wider legal background
Egypt introduced its law on terrorist entity and individual lists in 2015. The legislation has since been amended. A legal analysis published in 2023 noted that changes made in 2020 broadened the scope of assets that could be frozen following a listing, compared with the original law’s focus on assets used in terrorist activity.
Legal analysts have criticised the breadth of the law’s definitions and questioned the procedural protections available to those affected. One analysis argued that an opportunity to challenge a listing after publication did not address its concerns about the chance to contest the designation beforehand. Those criticisms concern the legal framework generally and do not establish what occurred in each case covered by the latest ruling.
