Washington DC [US], January 14 : The United States has designated Muslim Brotherhood-linked organisations operating in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon as "terrorist" entities, a move that comes as Washington steps up action against groups it views as hostile to Israeli interests globally, Al Jazeera reported.
In a post on X, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent wrote, "The Treasury Department is taking action pursuant to President Trump's leadership by designating Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations. The Muslim Brotherhood has a longstanding record of perpetrating acts of terror, and we are working aggressively to cut them off from the financial system. This Administration will deploy the full scope of its authorities to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat terrorist networks wherever they operate in order to keep Americans safe."
https://x.com/SecScottBessent/status/2011169460888182938
The decision was announced on Tuesday, weeks after US President Donald Trump signed an executive order instructing his administration to initiate the process of blacklisting the organisations.
According to US authorities, the Department of the Treasury designated the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated groups in Egypt and Jordan as "specially designated global terrorists", while the State Department applied a stricter classification on the Lebanese organisation, listing it as a "foreign terrorist organisation" (FTO).
The Trump administration said the action was taken over alleged links to the Palestinian group Hamas and what it described as "activities against Israeli interests in the Middle East", Al Jazeera reported.
"Chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organisations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas," the US Treasury said in a statement.
Responding to the designation, Salah Abdel Haq, acting general guide of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood, rejected the US move and said the organisation would legally challenge the decision, Al Jazeera reported.
"The group categorically rejects this designation and will pursue all legal avenues to challenge this decision which harms millions of Muslims worldwide," Abdel Haq said.
He further claimed that lobbying by Israel and the United Arab Emirates played a role in Washington's decision.
"We deny all allegations that the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood has directed, funded, provided material support for or engaged in terrorism," he told Al Jazeera in a statement.
"This designation is unsupported by credible evidence and reflects external foreign pressure by the UAE and Israel rather than an objective assessment of US interests or facts on the ground," Haq said.
Under US law, the designations make it illegal to provide material support to the named groups and trigger economic sanctions aimed at cutting off their funding channels. The FTO classification also carries immigration-related consequences, including barring members of the organisation from entering the United States, as per Al Jazeera.
Founded in 1928 by Egyptian Islamic scholar Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood has developed branches and affiliated organisations across the Middle East, including political parties and social groups. The movement and its offshoots maintain a commitment to peaceful political participation.
In Lebanon, the Muslim Brotherhood-linked organisation al-Jamaa al-Islamiya has a presence in Parliament. In Jordan, the group secured 31 seats in the House of Representatives in the 2024 elections through its political wing, the Islamic Action Front. However, Jordanian authorities banned the organisation last year, alleging its involvement in a sabotage plot.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood won the country's only democratically conducted presidential election in 2012. Its government was ousted the following year after a military coup led to the removal of President Mohamed Morsi, who later died in prison in 2019. Since 2013, Cairo has outlawed the group and launched a wide-ranging crackdown, forcing many of its leaders and members underground or into exile.
On Tuesday, Egypt's Foreign Ministry welcomed Washington's designation of the Egyptian branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a global terrorist organisation, calling it a significant development, Al Jazeera reported.
The ministry said in a statement that the US decision "reflects the danger of this group and its extremist ideology and the direct threat it poses to regional and international security and stability".
Muslim Brotherhood-inspired organisations across the region have been vocal critics of Israel's war in Gaza. In Lebanon, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya supported Hezbollah's so-called "support front" in solidarity with Gaza, a campaign that escalated into a full-scale conflict with Israel in September 2024.
Reacting to the US move, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya on Thursday said it remains a legally recognised political and social organisation in Lebanon.
"This move is a political and administrative American decision, not based on any Lebanese or international judicial ruling, and has no legal effect within Lebanon, where the sole authority remains the Lebanese Constitution, the applicable laws, and the Lebanese state institutions," the group said in a statement.
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