Program On Extremism

Decoding the Language of Global Jihad | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Featuring Sergio Altuna

Join us on Feb 26 at 10am ET for a live webinar presenting TITAN (Terrorism Insight Through the Analysis of Narratives). Discover how this new initiative advances the analysis of jihadist propaganda.

📍Online via Zoom
Register now!

GW Program on Extremism Launches TITAN Project to Expand Research on Jihadist Narratives - HSToday The Program on Extremism at George Washington University has launched a new research initiative aimed at deepening understanding of jihadist communication strategies and ideology.

This week we launched the TITAN Project - led by Sr. Researcher Dr. Altuna @altuna.bsky.social - to deepen research into how jihadist groups craft & evolve their narratives, using a structured corpus of propaganda to inform better understanding & counter-narrative efforts.

There's still some spots available for the launch of our new TITAN Project: a cutting-edge tool redefining how jihadist narratives are analyzed.

Join us tomorrow for a live walkthrough of its capabilities, findings & policy relevance. More details here👇

🚨 New research launch
Introducing The TITAN Project: a cutting-edge tool redefining how jihadist narratives are analyzed

Join us for a live walkthrough of its capabilities, findings & policy relevance
🗓️11 Feb | 📍GW Law

RSVP required by Feb 6👇
forms.office.com/pages/respon...

While non-binding, the resolution calls for tighter controls on EU funding, enhanced intelligence cooperation, and a possible formal designation under the EU’s counterterrorism framework.

The resolution urges the European Commission and the Council to assess the Brotherhood’s structures, financing, and modes of operation in Europe, citing concerns over institutional entryism, political Islam, and links to entities already designated, including Hamas.

France’s Nat. Assembly has adopted a resolution calling on the EU to consider the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The text frames the Brotherhood as a transnational ideological movement at odds with democratic principles.
www.assemblee-nationale.fr/dyn/17/texte...

Part I - Pathways to Radicalization: How Teens Are Drawn In | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Featuring Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, Jacob Ware and Sandra Bradley; moderated by Senior Research Fellow David Collins.

There's still time to join us for this online event!

Strategic philanthropy functions as a key vector of legitimacy and network expansion. Brotherhood-linked individuals hold senior positions in major charitable organizations such as IRUSA, enabling legitimacy and network access without overt political identification.

Religious authority is exercised by Brotherhood-linked figures embedded in mosques, Islamic centers, and imam training. Through transnational ties to Brotherhood-affiliated theological networks, these actors shape local religious discourse while maintaining a low public profile.

Advocacy & lobbying efforts are channeled through organizations presenting themselves as pro-democracy initiatives, such as CEAD, EAFJ and EADHR. Their campaigning priorities and coordination patterns reflect an effort to re-legitimize the Brotherhood in Washington policy circles.

After the fall of the Mursi government, additional Brotherhood figures relocated to the U.S., where they helped build a decentralized yet tightly interconnected ecosystem that operates through mutually reinforcing nodes, linking advocacy, religious authority, and philanthropy.

The Muslim Brotherhood in the West? | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Authored by Lorenzo Vidino and Sergio Altuna

Organizations founded or shaped by these actors—such as MAS—acknowledge ideological ties but deny operational connections. However, recent evidence from Canadian authorities reveal mechanisms for cross-border membership transfer. See our previous report:
extremism.gwu.edu/muslim-broth...

Infrastructure established by members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood since the 50s, now among the most influential Muslim organizations, has enabled the systematic recruitment of Egyptian students in the U.S. over time.

The Egyptian Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in America: Yesterday and Today | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Authored by Sergio Altuna and Lorenzo Vidino

New report published by PoE Director Lorenzo Vidino and Senior Researcher @altuna.bsky.social
"The Egyptian Branch of the Muslim Brotherhood in America: Yesterday and Today"
extremism.gwu.edu/egyptian-bra...

Part I - Pathways to Radicalization: How Teens Are Drawn In | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Featuring Dr. Miri Bar-Halpern, Jacob Ware and Bradley Parents; moderated by Senior Research Fellow David Collins.

🚨 New event!
How do teens get pulled into extremist ideologies? Join us for a panel on pathways to radicalization - identity, belonging, trauma & the online ecosystem - featuring a parent’s firsthand story and expert insight.

🗓️ Jan 14 | 🕙 10am ET
📍Online
Register now👇

For Many Jan. 6 Rioters, a Pardon From Trump Wasn’t Enough

"They've become conspiratorial-minded people looking for the next thing to mobilize for."

Read comments from our research fellow @jonlewis27.bsky.social in this @nytimes.com article on the enduring prominence of January 6 conspiracies👇

Foiled LA terror plot highlights ‘mishmash’ of beliefs that can fuel violence Experts say a thwarted New Year’s Eve attack in the Los Angeles area shows politically-motivated violence isn’t confined to a “pure ideology.”

"Foiled LA terror plot highlights ‘mishmash’ of beliefs that can fuel violence"
With comments from our Director Dr. Lorenzo Vidino
www.csmonitor.com/USA/Military...

Holding 764 Accountable | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Featuring James Kitchen, Steve Grocki, Justin Sher and Kavitha Babu; moderated by Senior Research Fellow Barry Jonas.

🚨There's still time to register for our event tomorrow!

Join experts from DOJ & former federal prosecutors for a critical panel on investigating and prosecuting the 764 network - and what real accountability looks like.
🗓️18 Dec | 🕐1 pm ET
extremism.gwu.edu/holding-764-...

Radicals like Bondi Beach terrorists hide behind democracy — as Western countries limited in actions The horrifying attack in Sydney highlights two interrelated dynamics that have plagued counterterrorism efforts in all Western countries for decades.

In this latest opinion piece in the New York Post our director Lorenzo Vidino calls out the painful limits of Western democracies in confronting radicals who exploit legal protections, as shown by the Bondi Beach terror attack - urging smarter, proactive tools to protect our freedoms and safety.

How the DOJ is Prosecuting Nihilistic Violent Extremism The DOJ's change in approach to prosecuting Nihilistic Violent Extremism as domestic terrorism is long-overdue.

Our staff’s latest @justsecurity.org piece shows the DOJ has, for the first time, charged a nihilistic violent extremist under a terrorism statute - signaling a shift in how depraved, chaos-seeking networks are legally treated as domestic terrorism.

Global Extremism Papers Editor’s Note – Inaugural Issue (2026) | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Edited by the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University

📢 Launching the inaugural Global Extremism Papers for 2026.

This first issue brings together leading research on how extremist movements adapt, from digital shifts to decentralized structures and AI-driven risks. Papers will be released in early 2026.

Read the editor’s note👇

Holding 764 Accountable | Program on Extremism | The George Washington University Featuring James Kitchen, Steve Grocki and Justin Sher; moderated by Senior Research Fellow Barry Jonas.

📢 New event!
Join us for a panel on how federal investigators are confronting 764, a diffuse online network tied to violent glorification and serious cyber-enabled crimes. We'll discuss evolving tactics, legal hurdles & paths to accountability.

🗓️ 18 Dec | 🕐 1pm ET
Register now!

Approaching the War on Terror in the Sahel The U.S. refocuses on West Africa as kidnappings and rising jihadist groups in Niger, Mali, and Nigeria raise alarms.

Our research fellow Jordyn Abrams’s new article in Small Wars Journal examines the War on Terror in the Sahel, highlighting the complexities of local dynamics, international interventions, & regional governance. A call for a more nuanced counterterrorism strategy.

YouTube video by INTIFADA: HAMAS in the US Episode 23: Unfathomable Hate

🎙️Ep 23 INTIFADA: Hamas in the US is out now!
Lara Burns speaks with Dr. Elkayem-Levy about her commission’s work documenting the sexual torture & atrocities committed by Hamas on Oct 7. Their findings reveal a newly identified form of torture targeting family units.

YouTube video by Program on Extremism at GWU Lara Burns discusses the shooting of National Guard in Washington DC

Head of Terrorism Research Lara Burns spoke on Fox and Friends this morning about the shooting of National Guard in Washington DC

The US moves toward a reckoning with the Muslim Brotherhood - The Jewish Chronicle With Texas leading an unprecedented state-level terror designation and federal scrutiny intensifying, America is edging toward a decisive showdown with the Islamists and their network of affiliates

CAIR “has consistently denied” a Hamas affiliation, however “evidence in federal trials and academic research illustrates... their roots in the US-based Hamas infrastructure are indisputable."
👇Read our Head of Terrorism Research Lara Burns's comments in this article

YouTube video by Program on Extremism at GWU Balkans Under Pressure: Hybrid Threats, Russian Influence, and Transatlantic Security

PoE visiting scholar and NATO Fulbright recipient Katarzyna Maniszewska sits down with Dževad Terzić of the Federal Police Administration of Bosnia and Herzegovina to discuss how Russian influence in the Balkans can drive violent extremism in the region.

YouTube video by GBNews EXPOSED: How the Muslim Brotherhood is SHAPING UK policy as network uncovered in shocking claims

In a discussion with Emma Trimble, POE Director Lorenzo Vidino explains how the Muslim Brotherhood’s network could be influencing UK government policy via sympathetic figures in key roles.

How the Muslim Brotherhood Came to America Lorenzo Vidino reveals how a foreign ideological movement embedded itself into American institutions. His report shows that extremism can thrive when it learns to speak the language of democracy.

A review by Faisal Saeed Al Mutar of POE Director Lorenzo Vidino’s research on the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in the U.S. and the ideology shaping its network