The United states is poised to escalate its efforts against the Muslim Brotherhood, potentially designating several branches of the transnational Islamist association as terrorist entities. This move signals a meaningful hardening of Washington’s stance toward a group long active in the Middle East and beyond, and comes amid heightened regional instability and concerns over the rise of extremist ideologies. Following a similar designation by the state of texas last month, the Trump administration’s assessment views the Brotherhood as a unified network posing a direct threat to U.S. interests and allies,a determination that could have far-reaching diplomatic and financial consequences.
The United States is taking a firmer stance against the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist organization, with steps to designate several branches as terrorist entities. The move, impacting groups in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan, signals a significant shift in Washington’s approach to the decades-old organization and reflects a growing prioritization of national security concerns. This decision comes as several countries in the region are grappling with instability and the potential for extremist groups to exploit political vacuums.
President Donald Trump’s administration has determined that the Brotherhood poses a threat to U.S. interests and those of its allies, prompting a more stringent security assessment of the group’s activities. For the first time, Washington is treating the Brotherhood’s various branches as a unified, cross-border network engaged in violence and destabilizing activities. The change in approach could complicate diplomatic efforts in the Middle East, where the Brotherhood maintains a presence in several countries.
The decision follows a similar move by Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a Republican, who last month designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization within his state. This designation prohibits the group from acquiring property in Texas and empowers the state’s attorney general to take legal action to shut down its offices.
Analysts anticipate increased scrutiny of individuals linked to the Brotherhood within the United States, potentially leading to financial investigations, legal challenges for associated organizations, and restrictions on travel or banking access. The U.S. is increasingly recognizing the extent of the threat posed by the Brotherhood to both regional and international security, officials say.
The organization has been accused of contributing to instability in several Arab nations, including Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, and Sudan, with critics alleging that its pursuit of power often comes at the expense of public safety and stability. The Brotherhood, while often presenting itself as a religious organization, is accused of exploiting religion for political gain.
The Washington Post reported that the designation will help counter the Brotherhood’s transnational terrorist network, which fuels instability and targets U.S. interests and allies in the Middle East. The New York Times noted that if the designation is applied as both a “specially designated global terrorist” and a “foreign terrorist organization,” it would trigger significant financial sanctions, asset freezes, and criminal penalties for anyone providing material support to the group.
Since its founding, the Muslim Brotherhood has been linked to violence in pursuit of its political objectives, employing tactics ranging from assassination and bombings to acts of sabotage aimed at destabilizing governments. These actions, regardless of justification, underscore the group’s history of violence.
Egypt
Founded in Egypt in 1928 by Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood has consistently sought to dominate Egyptian politics, employing a variety of methods, including violence. The group has been implicated in numerous terrorist incidents in Egypt, from the 1952 Cairo fire to more recent bombings and attacks against the Egyptian state.
Key incidents include the 1952 Cairo fire, which some historians believe was orchestrated by the Brotherhood to create chaos following their marginalization after the 1952 revolution. In 1954, President Gamal Abdel Nasser survived an assassination attempt during a speech in Alexandria, an attack attributed to Brotherhood members opposed to his rule. The assassination of President Anwar Sadat on October 6, 1981, by a group of army officers affiliated with the Brotherhood, served as a stark warning of the potential for extremist groups to target political leadership. The 1997 Luxor massacre, carried out by the Islamic Group – a splinter faction of the Brotherhood – resulted in the deaths of 62 foreign tourists. More recently, in 2014, authorities uncovered a plot to bomb the High Dam, a critical piece of Egypt’s infrastructure.
Following the 2013 overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, a Brotherhood-affiliated leader, the Egyptian government officially designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, citing its involvement in violence and attempts to destabilize the country. The Brotherhood has consistently denied these accusations.
Sudan
The Muslim Brotherhood’s influence in Sudan spanned over three decades, marked by conflict and instability. The period following the 2019 ouster of Omar al-Bashir, and the subsequent military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan in October 2021, plunged Sudan into civil war. Sudanese citizens increasingly blame the Brotherhood for the country’s ongoing turmoil.
Analysts contend that the Brotherhood’s pursuit of power, even at the expense of national stability, has fueled the conflict. The group is accused of exploiting religious rhetoric to advance its political agenda and of hindering efforts to establish a civilian government. The ongoing conflict is seen as a direct consequence of the Brotherhood’s destabilizing influence.
Jordan
After 80 years of political and advocacy activity in the country, the Jordanian government officially banned the Muslim Brotherhood, prohibiting its activities, seizing its assets, and criminalizing the promotion of its ideology. The move followed the discovery of a “Jordanian Brotherhood cell” in April 2025, which allegedly received training from Lebanon and funding from non-Jordanian Brotherhood members.
Jordanian authorities have accused the Brotherhood of plotting to undermine national security and incite chaos, including the manufacture of rockets and explosives.
Libya
The Muslim Brotherhood in Libya has been accused of working to destroy the country and spread chaos and terrorism in an attempt to gain power, exploiting the aftermath of the 2011 uprising that led to the fall of Muammar Gaddafi. The group allegedly formed alliances with numerous armed militias, providing them with financial and military support. The Brotherhood is accused of contributing to the country’s fragmentation and instability, benefiting from the resulting chaos.
Tunisia
Since the 2011 revolution, the Ennahda movement, the Tunisian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, has been accused of exploiting internal events to advance its narrow partisan interests. The movement allegedly infiltrated state institutions, taking advantage of a 2011 amnesty law to appoint thousands of its followers to government positions.
Recent developments include court rulings against Ennahda leaders accused of conspiring against state security, and accusations by President Kais Saied that the group is behind campaigns to destabilize the country.
Algeria
The Algerian Civil War of the 1990s, known as the “Black Decade,” remains a painful memory for Algerians. The Islamic Salvation Front, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood in Algeria, engaged in a decade-long bloody conflict with the Algerian army. The group committed numerous atrocities, and reconciliation was only achieved with the election of Abdelaziz Bouteflika and a subsequent disarmament agreement.
Closing the Space for Maneuver
Analysts believe Trump’s decision will strike at the Brotherhood’s funding sources and limit its ability to operate, exposing its true nature to the world. The move could encourage other nations, particularly in Europe, to take similar action, as global awareness of the group’s dangers grows. The international recognition of the Brotherhood’s threat is seen as a crucial step in curbing its expansion under the guise of cultural, charitable, and religious organizations.
Full Commitment
“America truly wants to put the Brotherhood on the terrorism list, and it has a full commitment to that end,” said Monir Adeeb, a researcher specializing in extremist and terrorist movements. “The executive order issued by Trump, tasking the Departments of State and Treasury with gathering evidence to designate several Brotherhood branches as terrorist entities, means that Washington is beginning to recognize the danger this organization poses to U.S. national security and to its allies.”
Adeeb added that Washington is focusing on Egypt, “the birthplace” of the Brotherhood, as well as branches in Jordan and Lebanon, with potential future designations in Sudan, Algeria, and Tunisia. He noted that this U.S. move is part of a broader trend of actions taken by several Arab and foreign countries against the group, including legal bans, judicial prosecutions, and the drying up of funding sources.
Dr. Jasem Mohammed, a security and terrorism expert at the European Center for Counterterrorism Studies in Germany, stated that Trump’s decision to place the Muslim Brotherhood on the extremism list specifically targets the group’s presence in the Middle East, including Jordan, Lebanon, and Egypt. He emphasized that the decision is a firm affirmation of Trump’s policy of not tolerating the Brotherhood, particularly in the wake of the October 7th attacks.
“The Muslim Brotherhood has a significant role through a vast network of organization, including the chaos that also affected Gaza and Sudan, and the challenges it raises in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt,” Dr. Mohammed said. “Therefore, the decision limits the group’s activities in conjunction with the rise of extremist ideology, which requires countries in the region to cooperate with the United States to monitor the group’s movements and funding sources.”
