President Donald Trump signed an executive order launching the process of designating chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist entities.
“This order sets in motion a process by which certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations,” the order states. It adds that the United States will “cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters designated as foreign terrorist organizations pursuant to section 3 of this order, deprive those chapters of resources, and thereby end any threat such chapters pose to United States nationals or the national security of the United States.”
The order further condemns its connection to other terrorist groups, such as “Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions.”
“A senior leader of the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, on October 7, 2023, called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests, and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas,” the order reads. “Such activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio, alongside Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, will consult with Attorney General Pam Bondi and National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard to submit a report as to the terrorist designation within 30 days of the order.
According to a White House fact sheet on the order, the Trump administration aims to “eliminate the designated chapters’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and end any threat such chapters pose to U.S. nationals and the national security of the United States.”
In August, Rubio announced that the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization was “in the works.”
Explaining that some designations can be tied up in court, Rubio told Sid Rosenberg of “Sid and Friends in the Morning,” that the U.S. is “constantly reviewing for groups to designate for what they are: supporters of terrorists, maybe terrorists themselves, whatever it may be. We haven’t done this in a long time, so it’s – we’ve got a lot of catch-up to do. And you’ve mentioned a couple names, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, that are of grave concern.”
