Former US President Donald Trump said for the second time that he plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation, a move he has been considering since his first term. This comes at a time when several Republican leaders have been urging Washington to take a harder stand against the group.
Speaking to the US outlet Just the News on Sunday (23rd November), Trump said the designation would be made “in the strongest and most powerful terms.” He also said that officials are currently working on the final documents needed to move forward with the decision.
According to the report, the idea of designating the Muslim Brotherhood had been discussed several times during Trump’s first presidency, but it never officially went through. The Biden administration also did not pursue the move.
This new declaration once again catapulted the issue into the forefront, particularly as Republican legislators had been speaking loudly about action being taken. In July, senators and members of the US House introduced bills calling for the declaration of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. In August, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the process for designating parts of the organisation was “in the works.”
A complicated decision for the US
Formally designating the Muslim Brotherhood has always been difficult for the US government. The organisation is decentralised, with different branches operating in multiple countries, many of which function independently. Because of this structure, legal experts and intelligence officials in Washington have often found it challenging to apply a blanket terrorist label to the entire movement.
The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in Egypt in 1928 and remains one of the most influential Islamic political movements in the world. The group maintains that it operates peacefully and supports democratic participation.
However, the Brotherhood is seen as a threat to political stability by many authoritarian governments in the Middle East and North Africa. The UAE, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain, and Russia have already designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation. Jordan banned the group in April after arresting people linked to the movement who were accused of plotting attacks using rockets and drones.
Texas declares CAIR and the Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist groups
The renewed focus on the Muslim Brotherhood also follows a major decision by the Texas governor. On Tuesday (18th November), Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced that the Muslim Brotherhood, including the Council on American-Islamic Relations, would be considered “foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organisations.” CAIR is the largest Muslim civil rights group in the United States, and the governor’s declaration has sparked wide criticism.
Following the order, several Muslim organisations filed a federal lawsuit on Thursday (20th November) against Abbott and Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton. They argued that the proclamation was unconstitutional and defamatory, especially since CAIR’s Texas chapter was being targeted without any legal basis. The lawsuit stated that Abbott was attempting to punish CAIR simply because he disagreed with the group’s political views.
CAIR’s litigation director, Lena Masri, said the organisation has defeated Abbott in court multiple times when he tried to take actions that violated free speech rights. CAIR-Texas also criticised the governor’s claims about “sharia courts,” calling them baseless and politically motivated.
