On Nov. 25, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Cabinet issued a list of 85 organizations and institutions it labeled as “terrorist.” Human rights and Islamic organizations as well as relief bodies that are legally operating in Western countries have found themselves on the same list as al-Qaeda, the Islamic State and Boko Haram. The listed organizations operating in Europe include the Federation of Islamic Organizations in Europe (FIOE) — which is the largest group of Islamic institutions in Europe and consists of 28 central institutions spread across Europe — the Islamic Society of Germany, the Muslim Association of Britain (MAB) and many others.

Interestingly, the European institutions listed as “terrorist” by the UAE are licensed to operate in Europe, and they are doing so in collaboration with civil society organizations such as the FIOE, the federation’s secretary-general, Samir Faleh, told Al-Monitor. Some of these institutions’ presidents even have good ties with high-level political officials in Europe, including European Parliament members such as Abdirizak Waberi, a Swedish parliamentarian from the moderate right. The former vice president of the FIOE, Waberi was the chairman of the Muslim Association in Sweden, one of the European institutions classified as “terrorist.” The Swedish government has responded that it does not recognize the UAE classification, and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs told Radio Sweden Arabic that the institutions are subject only to the EU's standards, which do not consider the Muslim Brotherhood or the Muslim Association of Sweden to be terror organizations.

The Norwegian government has also requested through its Foreign Ministry that the UAE explain the inclusion of the Islamic Council of Norway on the list. Norway's Secretary of State Bard Pedersen told the National Norwegian TV Channel Nov. 16 that he sees no reason to include the Islamic Council of Norway on the list.

The other so-called terrorist institutions have demanded that their governments follow the lead of their Norwegian and Swedish counterparts. The MAB said in a press conference, “We will be also writing to the British government, the Foreign Office, to ask them to intervene as well, as a government which represents us as British citizens, and to really follow in the footsteps of countries like Norway, where there has been an official move from the Norwegian government to ask the Emirates … about the reason for taking such step.”