US President Donald Trump has signed an executive order aimed at designating several chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood, a pan-Islamist organization founded in Egypt in 1928, as foreign terrorist organizations. Specifically, the order targets branches in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.
According to the order, these chapters are accused of engaging in or facilitating violent campaigns that harm their own regions, US citizens, and US interests. This move marks a significant escalation in the administration's efforts to combat what it sees as extremist Islamic groups.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan al-Banna, has a long history of advocating for the revival of Islamic principles in society as a means of resisting Western colonialism. However, its designation as a foreign terrorist group allows Washington to take punitive measures, including freezing assets and denying entry to group members.
This move comes at a time when the Muslim Brotherhood is already outlawed as a terrorist group in several countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Jordan recently banned it in April after accusing the group of manufacturing and stockpiling weapons and planning to destabilize the kingdom.
The Brotherhood's popularity remains significant in Jordan, where authorities have historically turned a blind eye to its activities. The US designation is likely to be met with resistance from groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has continued to operate in Jordan despite a court ruling to dissolve it in 2020.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned in 2013 after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in a military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Sisi has since ruled Egypt and forged a key alliance with Washington.
The move also echoes other efforts to counter the influence of Islamist groups, including French President Emmanuel Macron's recent directive for his government to draft proposals to combat the spread of political Islam in France.
According to the order, these chapters are accused of engaging in or facilitating violent campaigns that harm their own regions, US citizens, and US interests. This move marks a significant escalation in the administration's efforts to combat what it sees as extremist Islamic groups.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded by Hassan al-Banna, has a long history of advocating for the revival of Islamic principles in society as a means of resisting Western colonialism. However, its designation as a foreign terrorist group allows Washington to take punitive measures, including freezing assets and denying entry to group members.
This move comes at a time when the Muslim Brotherhood is already outlawed as a terrorist group in several countries, including Egypt and Saudi Arabia. Jordan recently banned it in April after accusing the group of manufacturing and stockpiling weapons and planning to destabilize the kingdom.
The Brotherhood's popularity remains significant in Jordan, where authorities have historically turned a blind eye to its activities. The US designation is likely to be met with resistance from groups like the Muslim Brotherhood, which has continued to operate in Jordan despite a court ruling to dissolve it in 2020.
In Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood was banned in 2013 after the overthrow of President Mohamed Morsi, who was deposed in a military coup led by Abdel Fattah al-Sisi. Sisi has since ruled Egypt and forged a key alliance with Washington.
The move also echoes other efforts to counter the influence of Islamist groups, including French President Emmanuel Macron's recent directive for his government to draft proposals to combat the spread of political Islam in France.
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, like i get that some ppl are all about resistin western colonialism and stuff, but designating them as foreign terrorists? that sounds super extreme 
, and now they're gonna freeze assets and ban entry to members? that's harsh fam 
, especially since some countries already outlawed them. jordan just banned 'em last month 
, and ppl are still protesting. i think washington needs to calm down a bit & have an open convo with the muslim brotherhood instead of takin punitive measures 
I also wonder how they'll enforce this and what kind of evidence they think they have to back up these claims. This all feels pretty messy to me...
This is exactly what happens when you stigmatize a whole community without understanding their nuances.
my heart goes out to those affected by this executive order... it feels like we're taking two steps back in terms of understanding and tolerance 
... i mean, isn't it time for us to focus on building bridges instead of drawing lines in the sand? 
these organizations have been around for decades, and what's changing is our perspective on them... 
let's try to look beyond labels and ideologies...
, it seems like theres a lot of backdoor deal makin goin on here with washington & egypt and abdul fattah al sisi...i'm tryna stay informed but its all kinda confusing rn
and I have no idea how much I'm paying each month 
I'm no expert, but it seems kinda extreme. Like, what if they're not all bad guys? 
But hey, maybe I'm just not smart enough to understand it all... 
It's just another example of how politics can be so complicated, you know? Like, I get that the US wants to combat extremism, but designating a whole organization as a terrorist group without considering the cultural context? 
I don't know, it all feels really messy to me... 
. It might be interesting to see how this move affects people in these countries, especially those who have been following the news closely 
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That's roughly 0.03% of the global population 
, but this is one of the first times a foreign group has been targeted domestically 
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(that's roughly 0.01% of the platform's active users)
! The Brotherhood has a long history of adapting to changing circumstances 
. Did you know that they've been secretly funding pro-Brotherhood groups in the US for years? 