In a significant policy shift, President Donald Trump has announced his administration's intention to formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organisation.
A Stark Departure from Previous US Policy
Speaking in an interview, President Trump confirmed that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) will be designated 'in the strongest and most powerful terms', with the final documents currently being prepared. This move represents a dramatic reversal from the approach taken by former President Barack Obama's administration. Following the 2012 Egyptian revolution, representatives from the Muslim Brotherhood engaged in meetings with various US officials, including staff from the Obama White House.
At the time, Obama-era White House spokesman Tommy Vietor explained to Politico that the US had 'broadened ... engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors' in the wake of Egypt's political upheaval.
Bipartisan Pressure and State Department Review
Lawmakers from both the Senate and the House of Representatives, comprising mainly Republicans but also some Democrats, have long urged the State Department to apply the foreign terrorist label to the group. Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated in August that the designation was 'in the works', characterising the review process as extensive and deliberate. He noted the complexity arises from the Muslim Brotherhood's operation through numerous branches and affiliates, each requiring individual assessment.
Rubio also stated in an August interview that the State Department was 'constantly reviewing for groups to designate for what they are: supporters of terrorists, maybe terrorists themselves'. He acknowledged a backlog, saying, 'We haven't done this in a long time, so it's – we've got a lot of catch-up to do.'
International and Domestic Precedents
The potential US designation follows actions already taken by several Middle Eastern nations and even within the United States itself. The governments of Egypt and Jordan have banned the Muslim Brotherhood outright, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have formally classified it as a terrorist organisation.
On the domestic front, Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already certified both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organisations within the state. Abbott asserted that the groups' goals were to 'forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world'. This state-level designation means the groups are prohibited from acquiring real property interests and are considered 'not welcome' in Texas.
