Soros OSF supports Muslim Brotherhood
Executive summary
Claims that George Soros’s Open Society Foundations (OSF) directly “supports the Muslim Brotherhood” rest largely on recent reports that link OSF grants to organizations alleged to have ties—direct or indirect—with Muslim Brotherhood–connected groups; multiple outlets reference a new research report alleging “millions” in funding from OSF to such groups [1] [2]. OSF and its defenders dispute broad characterizations; available sources show reporting and advocacy groups have traced grants but do not present an undisputed line proving OSF intentionally funds the Muslim Brotherhood as a centralized project [3] [1].
1. New reports allege funding links — what they say and where they come from
Several recent pieces cite a new research report claiming Open Society Foundations money flowed to organizations described as having ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or to groups that “function as front organisations or intermediaries” for it; the European Conservative and other outlets summarize that report as alleging “millions of euros in funding” to groups in Europe, the United States and the Middle East [1]. The DisinfoLab document similarly argues OSF grants have underwritten groups it links to Brotherhood networks and lists recipient organizations it views as problematic [2] [4].
2. Types of recipients named in the reporting
The pieces point to a range of civil-society actors — human‑rights NGOs, legal advocacy groups and Muslim community organisations — among those flagged as recipients. Examples cited across outlets include Al-Haq and Al-Mezan in the Palestinian territories and U.S. Muslim‑focused advocacy groups such as Muslim Advocates; some reporting notes OSF grants to those groups and alleges links from those organisations to other movements or actors with Brotherhood ties [1] [5].
3. How critics stitch grants into a Brotherhood narrative
Critics use grant lists, intermediary organisations, and personnel links to construct chains of association. The argument is that OSF funding to human‑rights or anti‑racism groups indirectly empowers networks that the authors identify as Brotherhood‑affiliated; pieces claim money flowed through intermediaries and that some recipient leaders have past connections to groups the critics equate with Islamist networks [1] [2].
4. Counterpoints and institutional responses missing from the dossier
OSF leadership and mainstream outlets push back against sweeping labels and say the foundation funds a broad array of civil‑society work worldwide; The Guardian reports OSF prepared to defend itself legally amid political attacks citing selective reports [3]. Available sources do not quote an explicit OSF admission that it intended to fund the Muslim Brotherhood as an organisation; sources also do not provide a definitive OSF internal policy or statement conceding such a strategy — those materials are not found in current reporting [3] [1].
5. Evidence strength and reporting limitations
The reporting relies heavily on a single research report and on tracing grant flows and associations; several articles reflect that linkage claims depend on interpreting relationships among NGOs, personnel, and regional groups rather than on documents showing OSF earmarked funds for the Muslim Brotherhood itself [1] [2]. Some outlets with partisan or advocacy orientations amplify the allegation — readers should note the political leanings of sources when weighing claims [1] [6].
6. Historical context: why this allegation attracts attention
George Soros and OSF have long been targets of political campaigns and conspiracy narratives across the ideological spectrum; the foundation’s past grants on immigration, anti‑racism and civil liberties have frequently been reframed by critics as part of broader political or geopolitical agendas [7] [3]. That background explains why reports about any ties to Islamist networks gain traction quickly.
7. What verifiable facts the present sources establish
The sources establish that researchers have identified OSF grant recipients who themselves have been accused by critics of ties to Brotherhood-affiliated networks and that media outlets have run pieces describing these alleged links and summing the grants as “millions” [1] [2]. They do not establish, in the cited reporting, a single undisputed document from OSF directing funds specifically to the Muslim Brotherhood as an organisation [1] [3].
8. Bottom line for readers and journalists
Current reporting documents grant flows and alleges associative links; it does not, in the materials provided, produce an incontrovertible paper trail that OSF knowingly and directly funded the Muslim Brotherhood as a centralized entity. Readers should treat the claims as contested: the allegation exists and is backed by a research report summarized in multiple outlets, but OSF’s stated mission and public defenses and the nature of the evidence mean the claim remains disputable on the sources shown [1] [3].