Islamic extremism: the European Parliament’s Civil Liberties Committee says the threat is digital

Brussels – A threat that is evolving—faster, younger and increasingly virtual. The European Parliament’s Committee on Civil Liberties (LIBE) held a hearing today (8 June) on the impact of Islamic extremism on European society. Professor Peter Neumann of King’s College London, invited to speak as an expert, stated that social media is “the main driver of jihadist mobilisation.” These platforms, he explained, “push users into increasingly closed information bubbles, while operational planning takes place in encrypted chat groups, particularly on Telegram.” 

Professor Magnus Ranstorp of the Swedish Defence University also focused on this point, adding that “propaganda now also spreads through short videos, gaming platforms, and AI-generated content, making the threat faster, less visible, and more transnational.” 

According to experts, the result is radicalisation occurring in record time, “sometimes within a few weeks,” and affecting increasingly younger age groups. “Almost a third of suspected terrorists in the European Union in 2024 were under the age of twenty, some as young as twelve,” said Martin Schieffer, the European Commission’s counter-terrorism coordinator. Commenting on this point, S&D MEP Birgit Sippel emphasised that “it is not true that individuals radicalise themselves, or that it is the fault of some vague internet,” while the platforms “are in the hands of very few people, who care only about their own profit and refuse to remove illegal content, even when it is explicitly reported.” 

A second issue raised during the hearing concerns funding. This includes both foreign funding directed towards mosques and Islamic organisations within Europe, and EU funding directed towards other countries. Ranstorp called for a “thorough scrutiny of public funds” and denounced the existence of networks with “transnational connections and financial tentacles extending far beyond Europe.” Several Member States—including Germany, France, Austria and Sweden—have already introduced stricter measures, but “the framework remains fragmented.” On this issue, Schieffer announced that the Commission intends to develop a new financial data retrieval system to track suspicious flows, emphasising the importance of “a financial intelligence network” capable of identifying who receives European funds and under what conditions.