Summary
The argument contends that rebuilding Gaza requires more than infrastructure and money because education and religious institutions shape future generations. It warns that involvement by states and networks tied to Islamist ideologies would reinforce indoctrination rather than promote peace. Examples are contrasted between countries accused of exporting such ideologies and others that have invested in counter extremism and tolerance initiatives. The conclusion asserts that children need governance structures focused on reform, moderation, and coexistence.
Key Takeaways
- Governance and reconstruction efforts that include actors aligned with Islamist movements risk perpetuating radicalization rather than reforming education and civic life.
- External funding and ideological influence shape educational and religious institutions, with long term effects on youth attitudes and conflict perpetuation.
- Models emphasizing counter extremism, pluralism, and curriculum reform are presented as alternatives for rebuilding societies after conflict.
Imagine a conference room overlooking the Mediterranean. On the table: a $25 billion plan to rebuild Gaza. The blueprint: 200 education centers and 180 religious facilities.1 Around that table sit representatives of Qatar, Turkey, Egypt, and the UAE, tasked with ensuring Hamas never returns to power. One problem: an invisible partner is already seated at that table.
The Invisible Partner
Hamas is a wing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Article 2 of the 1988 charter: “The Islamic Resistance Movement is one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood in Palestine.” Never revoked.2 The Brotherhood spawned more than Hamas. Osama Bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri, and Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi all emerged from its ideological incubator.2 For decades, Brotherhood clerics issued fatwas obligating every Muslim to armed jihad against Israel.3
Qatar: The Brotherhood’s Leading Supporter and exporter
FDD identifies Qatar as the “leading supporter and exporter of Brotherhood ideology.”4 Qatar has hosted the Brotherhood’s global leadership for 60 years.5 In 1961, Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the Brotherhood’s spiritual leader, arrived in Doha. Qatar funded him, granted him citizenship, and gave him an Al Jazeera platform reaching 60 million viewers.6 Qatar transferred $8 billion to the Brotherhood’s Egyptian government.7 Billions more to Hamas, whose leaders live in Doha five-star hotels.8
Qatar does more than fund the Brotherhood. It exports its ideology. In 1981, $21 million from Qatar’s emir and Qaradawi built ISNA’s headquarters. ISNA is now the largest Muslim organization in North America, named an unindicted co-conspirator in Hamas financing case.9
But Qatar understood that shaping minds requires reaching to the younger generation.Al Jazeera, the Brotherhood’s megaphone10, set up AJ+ in Washington to reach young Americans on social media; the Justice Department ordered them to register as foreign agents in 2020, but as of 2024, they have yet to comply.11
Qatar became the largest foreign donor to American universities, with $6.6 billion in contributions.12 ISGAP studies found a direct correlation between funding from countries like Qatar and the rise of campus antisemitism, with universities receiving Middle Eastern money experiencing 300% more antisemitic incidents.13
Fifty-one percent of Americans aged 18-24 say October 7 “can be justified.” Among Americans over 65, only nine percent.14
Turkey: The Brotherhood’s State Sponsor
FDD identifies Erdogan’s AKP as “the Turkish arm of the Muslim Brotherhood,” assisting its establishment of schools and media channels throughout Turkey.15 After Egypt’s 2013 coup, Erdogan granted asylum to 1,500 Brotherhood members.16 In 2017, when Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE, and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar over its Brotherhood links, Turkey sided with Qatar.17 On October 25, 2023, Erdogan: “Hamas is not a terrorist organization. It is a group of mujahideen defending their land.”18
Egypt: Tension Between the Political and Religious Establishment
Egypt outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood in 2013. But outlawing an organization does not win hearts and minds. A Washington Institute poll found 75% of Egyptians view Hamas positively, and 94% believe Hamas did not kill civilians on October 7.19
This exposes the core problem. In 2015, Sisi stood before Al-Azhar’s scholars and demanded a “religious revolution.” Al-Azhar refused. “You’ve exhausted me, honorable Imam,” Sisi told Al-Azhar’s Grand Imam.20 On October 18, 2023, Al-Azhar issued a fatwa declaring that “Zionist civilians on occupied land are not worthy of the description of civilians.”21
Egypt’s government fights the Brotherhood. Egypt’s religious establishment supports Hamas. Even if it calls it “saluting with absolute pride the resistance efforts of the Palestinian people.”22
The UAE: The Exception?
In 2014, the UAE designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization.23 Then they built counter-extremism infrastructure. Hedayah trains religious leaders in theological engagement, with over 1,500 imams and 600 female religious leaders promoting moderate Islam.24 The Abrahamic Family House in Abu Dhabi: a mosque, church, and synagogue, side by side.25 Sawab, a UAE-US partnership, counters extremist content online with one billion impressions, 60% of followers aged 13-34.26 IMPACT-se examined 220 UAE textbooks: no antisemitism, no incitement, UNESCO standards met.27 The Ministry of Tolerance promotes coexistence since 2016.28
Who Will Care for Gaza’s Children?
Return to that conference room. Israeli media reported the UAE was in talks to take over Gaza’s civilian administration.29 A day later, Abu Dhabi graciously announced: “Gaza’s governance is the responsibility of the Palestinian people.”30 Qatar and Turkey showed no restraint. Sheikha Moza and Erdogan’s wife have declared themselves defenders of Palestinian education.31
Qatari textbooks teach children that “treachery and treason are among the traits of the Jews.”32 Turkish textbooks call Jews “infidels.”33 In September 2024, Turkey’s school year opened with “From Gallipoli to Gaza.”34
Now imagine them running those 200 education centers. The International Union of Muslim Scholars, who issued the fatwa obligating armed jihad, get 180 religious centers.
Gaza’s children were indoctrinated since kindergarten. UNRWA textbooks glorify martyrdom and jihad.36 Qatar and Turkey will not undo that indoctrination; they will deepen it.
Gaza’s children deserve a new future. They will not find it at a table where the Brotherhood and its supporters are already seated.
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Notes
1 Times of Israel, “Trump: US will take over Gaza, level it and create the Riviera of the Middle East” (February 5, 2025). https://www.timesofisrael.com/trump-us-will-take-over-gaza-level-it-and-create-riviera-of-the-middle-east/
2 Hamas Charter (1988), Article 2. https://avalon.law.yale.edu/21st_century/hamas.asp In 2017, Hamas issued a new policy document. As FDD noted: “This new document neither replaces the charter nor abrogates the group’s founding document.” https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2017/05/02/hamass-new-document-more-of-the-same/
3 Counter Extremism Project, “The Muslim Brotherhood’s Influence on Al-Qaeda, ISIS, and Iran.” https://www.counterextremism.com/content/muslim-brotherhood%E2%80%99s-influence-al-qaeda-isis-and-iran
4 Middle East Forum, “Must Innocents Die? The Islamic Debate over Suicide Attacks”; MEMRI, “Qatar-Based International Union Of Muslim Scholars Incite Armed Jihad” (March 2025). https://www.memri.org/reports/qatar-based-and-funded-international-union-muslim-scholars-and-its-members-incite-armed
5 FDD, “10 Things to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood” (June 2025). https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/06/09/10-things-to-know-about-the-muslim-brotherhood/
6 Counter Extremism Project, “Muslim Brotherhood in Qatar.” https://www.counterextremism.com/content/muslim-brotherhood-qatar
7 Middle East Forum, “The Qaradawi Fatwas”; Meir Amit Intelligence Center, “Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi” (October 2022). https://www.meforum.org/middle-east-quarterly/the-qaradawi-fatwas
8 TIME, “Qatar Haunted by Its Decision to Back the Arab Spring’s Islamists” (September 2013). https://world.time.com/2013/09/26/qatar-haunted-by-its-decision-to-back-the-arab-springs-islamists/
9 FDD, “10 Things to Know About Hamas and Qatar” (December 2023): “In Doha, Hamas leaders live in five-star hotels.” https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2023/12/19/10-things-to-know-about-hamas-and-qatar/
10 Global Muslim Brotherhood Research Center (2007); United States v. Holy Land Foundation, N.D. Tex. (2007-2008). https://www.investigativeproject.org/documents/case_docs/423.pdf
11 Moshe Dayan Center, Tel Aviv University. https://dayan.org/content/expulsion-muslim-brotherhoods-leadership-qatar-reflected-social-media
12 CNN, “DOJ orders Al Jazeera platform to register as foreign agent” (September 2020). https://www.cnn.com/2020/09/16/media/al-jazeera-foreign-agent/index.html
13 JNS, “Qatar is biggest foreign funder of US colleges” (January 2026). https://www.jns.org/ed-department-portal-finds-qatar-highest-source-of-foreign-funding-to-us-colleges-universities/
14 ISGAP, “Follow the Money” (July 2019); ISGAP and NCRI, “The Corruption of the American Mind” (November 2023). https://isgap.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/The-corruption-of-the-american-mind.pdf
15 Harvard CAPS/Harris Poll (October 2023). https://harvardharrispoll.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/HHP_Oct23_KeyResults.pdf
16 FDD, “10 Things to Know About the Muslim Brotherhood” (June 2025): “The Justice and Development Party (AKP) is the Turkish arm of the Muslim Brotherhood.” https://www.fdd.org/analysis/2025/06/09/10-things-to-know-about-the-muslim-brotherhood/
17 Patrick Kingsley, “Decimated Muslim Brotherhood Still Inspires Fear,” New York Times (July 2017). https://www.nytimes.com/2017/07/15/world/europe/muslim-brotherhood-qatar-egypt-turkey-saudi-arabia.html
18 Patrick Kingsley, “Turkey Throws Support Behind Qatar,” New York Times (June 2017). https://www.nytimes.com/2017/06/07/world/europe/turkey-qatar-support.html
19 Times of Israel, “Erdogan: Hamas aren’t terrorists, they’re mujahideen” (October 2023). https://www.timesofisrael.com/turkeys-erdogan-hamas-arent-terrorists-theyre-mujahideen-defending-homeland/
20 Washington Institute for Near East Policy, “Egypt Polling Shows Rise in Positive Views of Hamas” (November 2023). https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/egypt-polling-shows-rise-positive-views-hamas-iran-backed-groups-and-muslim
21 Atlantic Council, “Al-Azhar and Sisi’s Regime: Structural Roots of Disagreement” (August 2019). https://www.atlanticcouncil.org/blogs/menasource/al-azhar-and-sisi-s-regime-structural-roots-of-disagreement/
22 INSS, “From Moderate Islam to Radical Islam? Al-Azhar Stands with Hamas” (November 2023). https://www.inss.org.il/publication/al-azhar/
23 Al-Azhar statement, October 7, 2023, stated that it “salutes with absolute pride the resistance efforts of the Palestinian people.” INSS (November 2023). https://www.inss.org.il/publication/al-azhar/
24 Counter Extremism Project, “Muslim Brotherhood in UAE.” https://www.counterextremism.com/content/muslim-brotherhood-united-arab-emirates
25 Hedayah. https://hedayah.com/program/training-of-imams-and-mourchidates-religious-women-leaders/
26 Abrahamic Family House, Abu Dhabi. https://www.forhumanfraternity.org/abrahamic-family-house/
27 UAE USA United, Sawab Center. https://www.uaeusaunited.com/stories/stopping-the-spread-of-extremism
28 IMPACT-se, “The Emirati Curriculum 2016-2021” (January 2022). https://www.impact-se.org/reports-2/unitedarabemirates/
29 UAE Government Portal, “Tolerance initiatives.” https://u.ae/en/about-the-uae/culture/tolerance
30 Times of Israel, “Report: UAE in talks to take over civil administration of Gaza” (February 2, 2026). https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/report-uae-in-talks-to-take-over-civil-administration-of-gaza/
31 Times of Israel, “UAE denies report” (February 2, 2026). https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/uae-denies-report-that-its-planning-to-take-over-civil-administration-of-gaza/
32 Daily Sabah, “Emine Erdogan backs call to protect Palestinian children’s education” (September 2025). https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/emine-erdogan-backs-call-to-protect-palestinian-childrens-education
33 ADL, “Qatari Textbooks Teach that Jews are Treacherous” (October 2024). https://www.adl.org/resources/article/qatari-textbooks-teach-jews-are-treacherous
34 Algemeiner, “Turkish Textbooks Demonize Israel” (March 2021). https://www.algemeiner.com/2021/03/04/turkish-textbooks-increasingly-demonize-israel-and-zionism-refer-to-jews-as-infidels-says-new-report/
35 Nordic Monitor, “Erdogan accelerates using Gaza war for propaganda in schools” (September 2024). https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/09/erdogan-accelerates-using-gaza-war-for-propaganda-in-schools-praising-hamas/
36 IMPACT-se, “UNRWA Education: Textbooks and Terror.” https://www.impact-se.org/unrwa/
