Trump orders Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan designated as terrorist organisations

Trump orders Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan designated as terrorist organisations

US President Donald Trump on Monday signed an executive order to initiate the designation of certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terrorist organizations, specifically targeting branches in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.

According to the order, these chapters “engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.”

The Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928 by schoolteacher Hassan al-Banna, aims to revive Islamic principles in society and resist Western influence. The group has spread to multiple countries across the Arab world.

Designation as a foreign terrorist organization empowers the US government to take punitive measures, including freezing assets held in the United States and denying entry to members of the group. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent are now tasked with completing the process to officially outlaw the identified chapters.

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The Muslim Brotherhood is already banned as a terrorist group in several countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia, and was recently outlawed in Jordan in April 2025 for allegedly stockpiling weapons and planning destabilization activities. Despite court rulings in Jordan, the group maintained significant influence and continued operations until the ban.

In Egypt, the Brotherhood has been banned since 2013 following the overthrow of its leader and then-president, Mohamed Morsi, in a military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who has since allied closely with the United States.

The decision has received international praise. Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations Danny Danon described it as a significant move for Israel and neighboring Arab nations affected by Muslim Brotherhood-related terrorism.

In Europe, France is also taking measures against the group, with President Emmanuel Macron ordering the government in May 2025 to draft proposals to counter the Muslim Brotherhood’s influence and expansion within French territory.

This step marks a major escalation in the US’s counterterrorism efforts against Islamist political networks in the Middle East and North Africa.

Trump orders Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan designated as terrorist organisations

AFP