White House cites groups’ alleged support for Hamas, accusing them of waging campaign against US interests and allies.
Washington, DC – United States President Donald Trump has ordered his aides to start a process to label the branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon and Jordan as “terrorist” organisations, citing their alleged support for the Palestinian group Hamas.
Trump issued the decree on Monday as Washington intensified its crackdown on Israel’s foes in the region.
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The decree accused Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Jordan of providing “material support” to Hamas and the Lebanese branch of the group – known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiya – of siding with Hamas and Hezbollah in their war with Israel.
It also claimed that an Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood leader “called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests” during Israel’s war on Gaza. But it was not clear what the White House was referring to. The Muslim Brotherhood has been banned in Egypt and mostly driven underground.
“President Trump is confronting the Muslim Brotherhood’s transnational network, which fuels terrorism and destabilization campaigns against US interests and allies in the Middle East,” the White House said.
Trump’s order directs the secretary of state and the treasury secretary to consult with the US intelligence chief and produce a report on the designation within 30 days.
A formal “foreign terrorist organisation” label would then officially apply to the Muslim Brotherhood branches within 45 days after the report.
The process is usually a formality, and the designation may come sooner. The decree also opens the door to blacklisting other Muslim Brotherhood branches.
The White House is also pushing to label the groups as “designated global terrorists”.
The designations would make it illegal to provide material support to the group. It would also mostly ban their current and former members from entering the US, and enable economic sanctions to choke their revenue streams.
Longstanding demand of right-wing activists
Established in 1928 by Egyptian Muslim scholar Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood has offshoots and branches across the Middle East in the shape of political parties and social organisations.
Across the Middle East, Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated parties take part in elections and say they are committed to peaceful political participation.
But the group has been outlawed by several countries across the region.
Blacklisting the Muslim Brotherhood has been a longstanding demand for right-wing activists in the US.
But critics say that the move could further enable authoritarianism and the crackdown on free political expression in the Middle East.
The decree could also be used to target Muslim American activists on allegations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood or contributions to charities affiliated with the group.
Right-wing groups have long pushed to outlaw Muslim American groups with unfounded accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said the designation should not have an impact on Muslim American advocacy groups and charities.
“The American Muslim organisations are solid,” Awad told media. “They are based in the US. The relief organisations serve millions of people abroad. I hope that this will not impact their work.”
But he noted that anti-Muslim activists have been trying to promote “the conspiracy theory that every Muslim organisation in the US is a front to the Muslim Brotherhood”.
Recently, Republican Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated both the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR as “foreign terrorist organisations and transnational criminal organisations”.
CAIR has sued the governor’s office in response.
Analysts say Trump’s order was aimed at pandering to domestic audiences, and the threat of a terrorism designation means very little to the Middle East.
“It’s very amateurish foreign policy, but it appeals to the right-wing zealots in the US and Israel,” said Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut.
He noted that the order comes as the US tries “desperately to make progress” on the ceasefire in Gaza, which “the Israelis largely ignore, and Hamas largely adheres to”.
The White House wants to “keep showing that the Trump administration is doing everything it can to fight terrorism and bring peace and a happy, good life for all. This is, of course, fantasy,” Khouri said from the US city of Boston.
“I don’t think many people take it seriously. It’s not aimed at the Middle East. It’s aimed at domestic television audiences in the US and donors who provide the Republican Party with support, and the Republican Party is haemorrhaging support now because of its various and ineffective policies,” he added.
