A judicial decision in Egypt has added the Islamic Youth Forum in North Macedonia, an organization led by Muhamet Murtezi, to the list of terrorist entities. His name also carries weight in local politics in Skopje, as he serves as chairman of the Council of the Municipality of Chair for the 2025-2029 term and was part of the VLEN list of councilors in the October 2025 local elections.
Cairo decision includes dozens of entities and individuals
According to the decision of the Second Criminal Circuit of the Cairo Criminal Court, 35 entities and 36 individuals were added to the list. The document was published in Tuesday’s official issue of Al-Waqa’i Al-Masriyya, Egypt’s official gazette.
The measures apply for five years and are based on Egyptian law on lists of terrorist entities. According to the official version of the Egyptian authorities, this approach targets not only individuals, but also organizational structures, financial networks and institutions they consider linked to illegal activities or to organizations designated as terrorist.
The forum led by Murtezi is also on the list
Among the entities included is the Islamic Youth Forum in North Macedonia, led by Muhamet Murtezi. The inclusion of an organization based outside Egypt shows the cross-border reach of this decision and raises questions about the specific basis on which the classification was made.
In the published material, Murtezi is also identified as chairman of the Council of the Municipality of Chair for the 2025-2029 term. He was also part of the VLEN list of councilors for this municipality in the October 2025 local elections.
Support for protests in Albania was also expressed publicly
Murtezi has also spoken publicly about political developments in Albania. In Facebook posts, he sided with protesting students and took an open stance against Prime Minister Edi Rama.
In one of the cited posts, he wrote: “Will the era of Edi Rama really end soon, as people are saying, and with it all this violence taking place in the streets of Albania, remains to be seen. I hope this joyful news comes as soon as tomorrow.”
What other organizations are included and what consequences the decision brings
The list published by the Egyptian authorities also includes Islamic organizations with a presence in Britain, France, Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Italy, such as the Council of European Muslims, the European Council for Fatwa and Research, the European Council of Imams, and a range of other religious and educational structures.
Under Egypt’s legal framework, the consequences for listed entities include a ban on activities within the scope of Egyptian law, a ban on financing or raising funds in their name, and the freezing of assets covered by the decision. The law also provides procedures for judicial challenges to the listing.
Cairo’s decision goes beyond Egypt’s borders and affects organizations operating in different legal environments in Europe. This is precisely what makes the issue more politically and legally sensitive, especially when the list includes structures linked to figures who hold public roles.
So far, what is known is that the Islamic Youth Forum in North Macedonia appears in the official Egyptian decision as an entity designated as terrorist for a five-year period.