US President Donald Trump said on Sunday he plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, signalling a sharp escalation in Washington’s approach to the Islamist movement.
Speaking to conservative outlet Just the News, Trump said the designation would be issued “in the strongest possible terms” and that final documents were now being prepared.
The remark comes after the same outlet published a lengthy investigation into the Brotherhood’s activities, and revives a long-running debate in Washington that has resurfaced repeatedly since Trump first entered the White House.
Founded in Egypt nearly 100 years ago, the Muslim Brotherhood has evolved into a transnational network with affiliated parties and groups operating across the Middle East, Africa, Europe and other regions.
Some Republicans have already pushed ahead at the state level. In Texas, Governor Greg Abbott recently labelled both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as “foreign terrorist” and “transnational criminal” organizations – a step that bars them from owning land in the state and could expose them to civil and criminal action.
CAIR is challenging the move in court, denying any links to terrorism and arguing that the designation violates its constitutional rights.
On Capitol Hill, a group of Republicans in both chambers of Congress – backed by a handful of Democrats – has long supported listing the Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said the process is “under way”, while stressing that any final decision must navigate complex legal reviews because of the movement’s diffuse structure and its many loosely connected branches.
Several key US allies have already acted. Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain have all designated the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and outlawed much of its activity.
The Brotherhood rejects those labels. During Trump’s first term in 2019, it said it remained committed to “peaceful” political and social work in the societies where it operates.
In a more recent statement, the group vowed it would “continue to exist – by the power and grace of God – regardless of any decision,” reiterating its historic slogan that the Prophet is its example, the Qur’an its constitution, jihad its path, and death in God’s cause its highest aspiration.