Former Yemeni foreign minister Khalid Al-Yemeni said the Muslim Brotherhood created the ideological foundation for Al-Qaeda and ISIS.

This connection suggests that modern global terrorism is not a series of isolated incidents but the result of a century-old ideological framework. Understanding these roots is critical for policymakers attempting to dismantle the systemic drivers of extremism in the Middle East and beyond.

During a Sky News Arabia program, Al-Yemeni said the Brotherhood's original ideas originated in the Middle East before spreading globally [1]. He said the movement planted these ideological seeds approximately 100 years ago [1]. According to Al-Yemeni, this framework persisted over time and eventually fragmented into more violent organizations.

Al-Yemeni said this specific ideology gave rise to tens of terrorist organizations and thousands of attacks [1]. He described a process where the foundational beliefs of the Brotherhood evolved into the more lethal manifestations seen in groups like ISIS and Al-Qaeda.

The former minister's analysis focuses on the persistence of an ideological core that survives even as the organizational structures of these groups change. He said the spread of these ideas facilitated the rise of militant cells across different regions, moving from a localized Middle Eastern movement to a global phenomenon [1].

“The Muslim Brotherhood planted the ideological seeds that later grew into Al-Qaeda and ISIS.”

The assertion by Khalid Al-Yemeni highlights a long-standing debate regarding the 'pipeline' between political Islam and violent jihadism. By tracing the lineage of ISIS and Al-Qaeda back to the Muslim Brotherhood's origins a century ago, the argument posits that the primary threat is not just the militant groups themselves, but the underlying ideological framework that justifies their existence.