U.S. President Donald Trump has initiated the process of designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists.
According to a White House fact sheet, Trump signed an executive order directing Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to produce a report on whether specific Muslim Brotherhood branches — including those in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan — should be designated. The order requires both secretaries to proceed with any recommended designations within 45 days of submitting the report.
The Trump administration accuses several Muslim Brotherhood factions of supporting or encouraging violent attacks against Israel and U.S. partners, as well as providing material backing to Hamas.
“President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilisation campaigns against U.S. interests and allies in the Middle East,” the fact sheet stated.
Republicans and right-wing groups have long pushed for terrorist designations against the Muslim Brotherhood. Trump pursued a similar move during his first term, and months into his second, Rubio confirmed the administration was once again working toward the designation.
Just last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a state-level terrorist designation against the group.
Founded in Egypt in the 1920s as an Islamic political movement opposing secular and nationalist ideologies, the Muslim Brotherhood quickly expanded across the Muslim world, often becoming influential but operating largely in secrecy.
