Government ends cooperation with deradicalization center Derad

Austria's federal government is terminating its cooperation with the deradicalization center Derad, a move confirmed by the Interior Ministry. The decision arises from intelligence assessments indicating that several key individuals within the organization exhibit ties to the ideology of the Muslim Brotherhood.

While no criminal allegations have been made against Derad, the Interior Ministry stated that the nature of deradicalization work requires an exceptionally high level of trust. "If there are any concerns, it simply won't work in deradicalization efforts. There must be 100 percent trust here," an Interior Ministry official explained.

Derad has been active in various capacities, including within prisons, aiming to deradicalize individuals involved in Islamist extremism. While some successes have been noted in steering individuals away from jihadism, concerns have been raised that the program may be converting individuals into fundamentalist Islamists rather than fostering liberal Muslim identities.

The Interior Ministry is formally seeking Derad's exclusion from the National Network for Extremism Prevention and Deradicalization. The Justice Ministry has also ceased engaging Derad's services, following a security review by the Directorate for State Security and Intelligence that informed these actions. Other public institutions, including the city of Vienna, which have worked with Derad, have also been notified.

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If there are any concerns, it simply won't work in deradicalization efforts. There must be 100 percent trust here.