I just returned from eight whirlwind days in Europe, including stops in London, Brussels and Germany (Cologne, Bonn, and Munich, to be specific). My goal with the trip was twofold:
1) Continue to cover the rise of Islamism in Europe and how it will affect America's security.
2) Glean insight into the inner workings of the Muslim Brotherhood, indisputably the world's most influential Islamist organization.
I'm happy to report that the Stakelbeck on Terror team was able to do that and then some, to the tune of some 11 on-the-ground reports that you'll be seeing on CBN over the next several weeks.
Here is some of what you can expect:
• Inside the Muslim Brotherhood. How does this secretive organization operate? I interviewed three of the Brotherhood's top operatives in Europe and also visited Brotherhood-connected mosques in all three countries.
• How did the Muslim Brotherhood arrive in the West, where it has since spread its tentacles throughout Europe, the United States, and Canada? Believe it or not, it all began at a mosque on a quiet Bavarian street in Munich.
• Coverage of the growing Salafist movement in Europe and the terror threats and Al Qaeda ties it has spawned. To that end, I spent significant time interviewing two prominent Salafists in London and Germany.
• A conversation with the European Union's top counterterrorism official.
• Coverage of growing anti-Semitism in Europe, driven by the burgeoning Muslim communities and their allies on the left.
• What is Turkey and its radical, Erdogan-led government up to in the West? For one, an explosion of mosque-building in Germany and Austria, two countries with large Turkish immigrant populations. That includes what will soon be one of the largest "mega-mosques" in all of Europe: a massive structure in Cologne.
That's just a taste of what you can expect. Twelve-hour days and zero sleep as we hopped on planes, trains, and automobiles. But I wouldn't have it any other way.
I'm heading out for a much-needed vacation with family but will be back in the office on July 9, when I'll start putting the European reports together in earnest. I believe we obtained some cutting edge material that will hopefully wake folks up to the dangers we face.
Stay tuned.