Trump moves against Muslim Brotherhood as Islamist group spreads in West

President Donald Trump’s caller enforcement bid directing the State and Treasury departments to prosecute coercion designations for circumstantial Muslim Brotherhood chapters marks 1 of the astir important shifts successful U.S. argumentation toward the question successful decades.

Signed connected Nov. 24, it launches the archetypal ceremonial reappraisal of Brotherhood branches successful Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon nether U.S. designation laws and redefines however Washington treats Islamist movements with governmental and militant wings.

Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, praised the move, calling it indispensable for nationalist security. "The Muslim Brotherhood and its branches encourage, facilitate and supply resources for conducting jihadist coercion crossed the world," helium said, urging Congress to beforehand his Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025.

SCATHING REPORT CALLS ON US TO LABEL ISLAMIST GROUP INFILTRATING ALL ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE AS TERRORIST ORG

Supporters of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood instrumentality portion successful a protestation successful the colony of Sweimeh, adjacent the Jordanian borderline with the occupied West Bank, connected May 21, 2021. (Khalil Mazraawi/AFP via Getty Images)

Washington has agelong debated whether the Brotherhood is simply a unified planetary question oregon a escaped web of nationalist branches with antithetic agendas and levels of militancy. That quality stalled erstwhile attempts to designate the group. Trump’s bid bypasses that statement and directs national agencies to analyse idiosyncratic chapters that analysts accidental already conscionable the ineligible thresholds.

Mariam Wahba, a probe expert astatine the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, said successful a connection that the directive "replaces years of statement with factual action" and forces U.S. agencies to measure Brotherhood entities that relation arsenic "real organizations with enactment structures, financing channels and documented ties to violent groups." She said the bid "treats Islamist actors according to their behavior, not their branding."

Across the Arab world, the Brotherhood has been banned for years. Egypt outlawed it successful 2013 aft accusing the question of radicalization and efforts to undermine authorities institutions. Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates designated it soon after, calling it a nonstop menace to nationalist stability. Bahrain issued akin findings. Jordan dissolved its section section this twelvemonth pursuing arrests tied to illicit weapons activity. Austria has besides taken ineligible enactment against Brotherhood-linked networks arsenic portion of its counter-extremism framework.

Officials successful these countries accidental the Brotherhood uses a blend of spiritual preaching, governmental activism, charitable institutions and media platforms to signifier nationalist sentiment and situation authorities authority.

In the West, the Brotherhood operates acold much freely. In the United States, Brotherhood-linked organizations relation done charities, advocacy centers, mosques, pupil associations and assemblage groups. This openness has raised concerns among counterterrorism officials, particularly aft a U.S. national probe successful the aboriginal 2000s uncovered an interior Brotherhood memorandum describing its enactment successful America arsenic a semipermanent effort to power and weaken Western institutions from within.

A French government-commissioned study earlier this twelvemonth warned of the Brotherhood's power successful the country, but Paris has yet to officially instrumentality a ban. 

TRUMP SIGNALS PLAN TO DESIGNATE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION

Egyptian protesters chant anti-Muslim Brotherhood slogans arsenic they be a rally successful Tahrir Square, successful Cairo, Egypt connected Nov. 30, 2012. (AP)

The document, according to Mind Israel deliberation vessel research, reflects the Brotherhood’s content successful "long-term societal influence" done education, payment networks and media.

The question was founded successful 1928 by Hassan al-Banna successful Egypt aft the illness of the Ottoman Empire. The Brotherhood promoted Islam—according to experts—as the solution to modern governmental crises and relied connected outreach, services and media to grow its base. He added that thinkers similar Sayyid Qutb aboriginal inspired jihadist movements including al Qaeda and the Islamic State group.

Although the Brotherhood historically maintained a symbolic "general guide" successful Egypt, the question present operates arsenic a decentralized web crossed the Middle East, Africa, Europe and North America. Wahba noted that this fragmentation explains wherefore earlier U.S. attempts to enforce a broad designation failed. Instead, Trump’s bid adopts the exemplary utilized erstwhile the United States designated Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Gaza branch, successful 1997: people the components "that prosecute successful violence, not the ideology itself."

The determination besides comes amid increasing Israeli interest astir a resurgent Islamist bloc backed by Turkey and Qatar. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu publically praised Trump’s action, calling the Muslim Brotherhood "an enactment that threatens stableness passim the Middle East and beyond," and said Israel intends to grow its ain restrictions.

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Trump’s caller bid adopts the exemplary utilized erstwhile the United States designated Hamas, the Brotherhood’s Gaza branch, successful 1997: people the components "that prosecute successful violence, not the ideology itself." (TPS-IL)

Avner Golov, vice president of Mind Israel, argued that the United States should brace the caller reappraisal process with steps to face overseas power successful American academia, information arms deals connected behavioral changes and adjacent loopholes exploited by extremist-linked organizations.

As the State and Treasury departments statesman assembling evidentiary files, officials accidental the extremity is not a broad ban, but a targeted ineligible process grounded successful provable ties to terrorism. Analysts accidental the results could find however the United States confronts a question outlawed crossed the Middle East yet inactive progressive crossed Western societies.