Washington (TDI): US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Monday evening instructing federal agencies to begin the formal procedure for designating specific branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations.
The Muslim Brotherhood is already banned as a terrorist group in several countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and Jordan moved to outlaw it earlier this year. Trump’s order, signed at the White House on November 24, identifies chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt for review.
The directive says the 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 (FTOs) and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) under US counterterrorism statutes.
Calling the Brotherhood a “transnational network,” the order asserts that various branches have, since the group’s founding in Egypt in 1928, engaged in or supported violent activities and destabilizing operations that threaten regional stability, American citizens, and US interests.
The text points to activities allegedly linked to Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt. It references the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel, saying the Lebanese chapter’s armed wing “joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against both civilian and military targets within Israel.”
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The order also claims that a senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure “called for violent attacks against US partners and interests,” and accuses leaders of the Jordanian chapter of providing long-standing material support to Hamas’s military wing.
According to the directive, US policy will now prioritize working with regional partners to “eliminate the capabilities and operations” of any chapters that may be designated. The order further instructs federal departments to take steps to cut off resources to these groups and end what it describes as threats to American nationals and national security.
The document sets out a timeline for next steps. Within 30 days, the secretaries of State and Treasury must submit a joint assessment identifying which chapters should be designated. Following that, the relevant department is required to take “all appropriate action” within 45 days to finalize designations under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
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The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in 1928, has long been a topic of debate within US foreign policy circles. While some branches participate in elections and operate as political parties, others have been accused by regional governments of aiding militant groups.
