United States President Donald Trump issued an executive order on Monday evening, directing agencies to initiate the formal process for designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organisations.
The Muslim Brotherhood is already outlawed as a terrorist group in some countries, such as Egypt and Saudi Arabia. More recently, Jordan banned it in April of this year.
Signed at the White House on November 24, the order specifically mentioned its chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.
It stated that it “sets in motion a process by which certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation” as both foreign terrorist organisations (FTOs) and specially designated global terrorists (SDGTs) under US counterterrorism laws.
The directive described the Brotherhood as having developed into a “transnational network” since its founding in Egypt in 1928, with chapters across the Middle East that, according to the order, “engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilisation campaigns” that harm their regions, US citizens, and American interests.
The order highlighted activities attributed to Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt.
It cited the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas terrorists which led to Tel Aviv’s relentless military campaign in the Palestinian enclave, stating that the Lebanese chapter’s military wing “joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against both civilian and military targets within Israel”.
The White House document further highlighted that “a senior leader of the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood … called for violent attacks against US partners and interests”..
It added that the Jordanian chapter’s leaders “have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas”.
“It is the policy of the US to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate and eradicate the capabilities and operations” of chapters that may be designated under this process, the order said.
It also instructed agencies to act to “deprive those chapters of resources, and thereby end any threat” they posed to US nationals and national security.
The executive order also framed a clear timeline. Within 30 days, the secretaries of State and Treasury must submit a joint report evaluating which chapters should be designated.
After that, the order directed that the relevant department must, within 45 days, take “all appropriate action” to complete the designations under the Immigration and Nationality Act and the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has been the subject of long-running debate within US policymaking circles.
Some chapters have functioned as political parties participating in elections, while others have been accused by regional governments of supporting militant groups.
Past US administrations resisted designating the organisation outright, citing its diverse branches and concerns over destabilising political consequences.
Trump’s order marks the most detailed administrative mechanism yet to evaluate specific national chapters individually rather than treating the Brotherhood as a monolithic entity.
Last week, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, who is also a Republican like Trump, had designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation at the state level.
