US Moves to Designate Branches of Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organisations

Key Points

President Donald Trump has directed US officials to begin the process of designating several Muslim Brotherhood chapters as foreign terrorist organisations, marking one of the administration’s most sweeping actions against the decades-old Islamist movement. The executive order, signed on 24 November 2025, instructs the State and Treasury Departments to evaluate branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon for blacklisting under US terrorism laws.

The White House said the Brotherhood’s regional chapters had supported Hamas and participated in activities that threatened American interests and allies. As an example, the order cites the Lebanese chapter’s alleged involvement in rocket attacks on Israel after the October 7, 2023 assault, carried out alongside Hamas, Hezbollah and other Palestinian factions.

The administration also accuses a senior Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figure of calling for violence against partners of the United States and says Jordanian leaders have long provided material support to Hamas. The Brotherhood is banned and heavily repressed in Egypt, where it has been driven underground.

Under the order, the State and Treasury Departments must submit a joint report within 30 days recommending which branches should be designated under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act. A formal listing could follow within 45 days, making it illegal for anyone in the US to provide material support and significantly restricting travel and financial transactions.

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The decision marks an escalation in Washington’s campaign to pressure groups aligned with Israel’s adversaries. “President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies,” the White House said.

But the move has sharp critics. Analysts quoted by Al Jazeera said the order may have limited practical effect in the Middle East and is more likely aimed at US domestic politics, particularly segments of the Republican base that have long pushed for the Brotherhood to be outlawed. Some experts argue the designation could embolden authoritarian governments in the region to clamp down further on political opposition by branding dissidents as terrorists.

Muslim American civil rights advocates also raised concerns. Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) said the order should not affect US-based charities and advocacy groups, but warned that anti-Muslim activists often promote conspiracy theories linking mainstream organisations to the Brotherhood. CAIR itself is currently suing Texas Governor Greg Abbott after he designated the group, along with the Muslim Brotherhood, as “foreign terrorist organisations” on 18 November 2025.

The Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, operates as a network of political parties and social movements across the Middle East, many of which participate in electoral politics. While blacklisted by several governments, supporters say its affiliated groups commit to non-violent political engagement.

Whether the US designations move ahead as written will depend on the upcoming reports from national security agencies. For now, the order signals a forceful political message: the Trump administration intends to place the Muslim Brotherhood at the centre of its counterterrorism agenda, even as critics argue the gesture is designed less for the region than for American television screens. [Rh]

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