U.S. Designates Muslim Brotherhood As Terrorist Organizations

U.S. Designates Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organizations

The United States on Tuesday, January 13, formally designated the Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as terrorist organizations, a move that significantly escalates Washington’s long-standing opposition to the pan-Islamist movement.

Announcing the decision, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the action was taken under Executive Order 14362 as part of President Donald Trump’s broader commitment to dismantle Muslim Brotherhood networks deemed to pose a threat to U.S. national security.

“Today, as a first step in support of President Trump’s commitment to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters that pose a threat to the United States, the United States is imposing terrorist designations against the Lebanese, Jordanian, and Egyptian chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood,” Rubio said in a statement.

He added that the move marked the beginning of “an ongoing, sustained effort to thwart Muslim Brotherhood chapters’ violence and destabilization wherever it occurs,” stressing that the U.S. would use “all available tools” to cut off the groups’ resources and ability to support terrorism.

The designation allows the United States to block any assets linked to the Muslim Brotherhood within its jurisdiction and criminalizes financial or material support for the groups. It also severely restricts the ability of members and affiliates to travel to the United States.

Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood grew into a powerful transnational Islamist movement with influence across much of the Arab world. In recent years, however, it has faced increasing pressure and suppression from several regional governments, particularly Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

Egypt welcomed the U.S. decision, which President Trump had initiated in November. In a statement, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said the designation “reflects the danger of this group and its extremist ideology and the direct threat it poses to regional and international security and stability.”

The Muslim Brotherhood briefly rose to power in Egypt following the 2011 uprising that toppled longtime ruler Hosni Mubarak. In 2012, Mohamed Morsi won the presidency in the country’s first democratic election. His government was overthrown in 2013 by then-army chief Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has since led a sweeping crackdown on the Brotherhood, outlawing the group and imprisoning thousands of its members.

U.S. officials said the latest designation was based in part on the Brotherhood’s alleged ties to Hamas, the Palestinian militant group long designated as a terrorist organization by Washington. The Treasury Department stated that the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Brotherhood had coordinated with Hamas, whose October 7, 2023 attack on Israel triggered Israel’s large-scale military offensive in Gaza.

The State Department also accused the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Muslim movement, of aligning with Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Shiite militant group, in attacks against Israel. According to U.S. officials, the Lebanese branch has pushed for “a more formal alignment with the Hizballah-Hamas axis.”

In Jordan, where the Brotherhood’s political wing had long served as the main opposition bloc in parliament, authorities banned the group in April last year. The Jordanian government ordered the confiscation of its assets after accusing it of stockpiling weapons and plotting to destabilize the kingdom, which maintains a peace treaty with Israel.

Within the United States, the Muslim Brotherhood has been a frequent target of conservative lawmakers and commentators. Some have promoted unfounded conspiracy theories alleging that the organization is attempting to infiltrate the U.S. government and impose Islamic sharia law. Republican legislators have repeatedly pushed for a full designation in an effort to cut off any potential financing linked to the movement.

Previous U.S. administrations had hesitated to formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood, partly due to concerns about straining relations with Turkey. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has long expressed ideological sympathy for the Brotherhood. President Trump, however, has maintained generally positive relations with Erdogan and has downplayed Ankara’s sharp criticism of Israel’s military campaign in Gaza.

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