The United States President, Donald Trump has directed senior officials to assess whether certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood should be formally designated as terrorist organisations, a move that would open the door to travel restrictions, economic penalties and a ban on support for the group.
The directive, issued through an executive order on Monday, tasks the administration with examining the status of Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan. It instructs national security, diplomatic and financial agencies to determine whether these branches meet US criteria for foreign terrorist organisations or global terrorist entities, citing longstanding allegations of links to militant activity and regional instability.
The order mandates the Secretary of State and the Treasury Secretary, working alongside the Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence, to prepare a detailed assessment within 30 days. Should the review conclude that sanctions are justified, the administration would then have 45 days to implement them.A designation would criminalise any material support for the group, block assets, and bar members from entering the United States.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded nearly a century ago, is already outlawed in Egypt and Jordan.
The latest step signals a renewed push by the Trump administration to reshape US counterterrorism policy in the Middle East.”President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies in the Middle East,” the White House said in a statement.
Texas has moved ahead of the federal government by classifying the Muslim Brotherhood as both a foreign terrorist organisation and a transnational criminal network. The same designation has been applied to the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the country’s largest Muslim civil rights organisation, effectively barring both groups from acquiring property within the state.
The Muslim Brotherhood, established in Egypt nearly a century ago, has evolved into a global movement with branches that differ widely in approach and political orientation.
Its overarching ambition has traditionally been linked to the creation of a society governed by Islamic law.
Donald Trump had previously explored the possibility of assigning a terrorist label to the organisation during his first term, particularly after discussions with Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi. Several Arab governments have long regarded the Brotherhood as a destabilising force and have banned it outright.
Jordan followed suit earlier this year, dissolving the group and detaining members accused of plotting attacks involving rockets and drones.
