President Trump took a step towards designating parts of the Muslim Brotherhood as foreign terror organizations with an executive order signed on Monday. The order could lead to broad travel and economic restrictions for members of the movement in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, resuming an effort started during his first term. Despite no immediate action against the targeted chapters, the order instructed cabinet officials to submit a report and then ‘take all appropriate action’ against the influential Islamist political movement.
In his executive order, Mr. Trump accused the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan of having ‘long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.’ The rationale behind targeting the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt was unique as it did not cite any specific action but mentioned that ‘a senior leader’ had ‘called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests’ following the October 2023 Hamas-led attack on Israel. This move could impose significant financial penalties on the groups if the Trump administration follows through with the terror designations, including freezing assets and property in the U.S. and making it a crime to provide material support.
The executive order laid the groundwork for the terror designations by citing actions taken by the groups against Israel amid the October 2023 attack led by Hamas and the conflict in Gaza. In Lebanon, members of the movement joined Hezbollah in fighting against Israel, leading to one of the deadliest confrontations in Lebanon in decades. The potential labeling of the Muslim Brotherhood as ‘specially designated global terrorist’ and ‘foreign terrorist organization’ carries consequences for American citizens, companies, and institutions, prohibiting them from engaging in business with the designated groups.
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