Trump signs executive order targeting certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as terrorist groups
In a significant move on Monday, President Donald Trump signed an executive order aimed at designating specific chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). This decision comes in the wake of heightened tensions in the Middle East, particularly following the violent attacks on Israel on October 7, 2023. The executive order directs Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to initiate a 30-day review process to identify Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon that may be involved in or supportive of violence and destabilization efforts. Such designations could lead to asset freezes, travel restrictions, and criminal penalties for providing material support to these groups.
The executive order highlights the Muslim Brotherhood’s extensive history and its evolution into a transnational network since its founding in Egypt in 1928. Trump’s order explicitly notes the group’s involvement in violent activities, referencing the military wing of the Lebanese chapter’s participation in rocket attacks against Israel and calls from Egyptian leaders for violent actions against U.S. interests. The order underscores the perceived threat to American civilians and regional stability posed by these organizations, with Trump emphasizing the need for a robust response to the group’s activities, which have allegedly infiltrated key U.S. government agencies and educational institutions. This initiative aligns with recent state-level actions, such as Texas’s declaration of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and follows a comprehensive study by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) that warns of the group’s increasing influence in the U.S.
The implications of this executive order are far-reaching, as it signals a shift in U.S. policy towards the Muslim Brotherhood and could intensify scrutiny of its activities within the country. Advocates for this designation, including ISGAP’s executive director Charles Asher Small, have welcomed Trump’s actions as a necessary recognition of the challenges posed by the organization and its ideology. As the review process unfolds, the potential for significant legal and financial repercussions for the identified chapters looms, raising questions about the future of U.S. engagement with the Middle East and the broader implications for national security.
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President
Donald Trump
signed an executive order Monday directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to begin designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
The order, invoking the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act, cites the group’s involvement in violence across the
Middle East
, including rocket attacks on Israel following the Oct. 7, 2023, assault.
The move begins a 30-day review led by the State and Treasury Departments to identify Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon for possible designation, which could freeze assets, restrict travel, and criminalize material support for affiliated entities.
“The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has developed into a transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond,” Trump’s executive order reads. “Relevant here, its chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.
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“For example, in the aftermath of the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, the military wing of the Lebanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against both civilian and military targets within Israel,” the order continues. “A senior leader of the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, on October 7, 2023, called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests, and Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.
“Such activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners,” the order noted.
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Trump signaled over the weekend that he was planning to designate the
Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization
after several groups stepped up warnings in recent months that the Islamic group was gaining a foothold in the U.S.
“It will be done in the strongest and most powerful terms,” Trump
told Just the News
over the weekend. “Final documents are being drawn.”
The president’s comment came shortly after Texas declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization and just days after the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP), a prominent global research center, released a comprehensive 200-page study warning of the Muslim Brotherhood’s growing influence in the U.S.
The Islamist organization founded in Egypt, has gained access to government agencies, been involved in advising American civil rights policy, infiltrated educational institutions, and created a vast social media footprint, the report states, while outlining the belief that the group has allegedly targeted U.S. government agencies for infiltration, including the
State Department
, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice, through career appointments and advisory roles.
“We welcome President Trump’s statements and the growing recognition that the Muslim Brotherhood, its ideology and network pose a serious challenge to the United States and democratic societies,” Charles Asher Small, executive director of ISGAP, said in a press release after Trump’s interview with Just the News.
Fox News Digital’s Andrew Mark Miller contributed to this report.
