US Designates Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations
The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) recently designated the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for their material support to Hamas. Additionally, OFAC declared the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, also known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah (The Islamic Group), as both a Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorists, and the State Department also designated the Secretary General of the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist. As OFAC claims, “[c]hapters of the Muslim Brotherhood purport to be legitimate civic organizations while, behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.”
However, in the wake of reported large scale diversion of charity funds to Hamas from Jordan and Turkey … the Trump administration should expand such sanctions.
The designations follow an executive order by the White House in November 2025 stating that the Egyptian, Jordanian and Lebanese chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood “engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.” Additionally, last July, Representatives Randy Fine (R-FL-6) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23), and Senators Ted Cruz (R-TX), Tom Cotton (R-AR), John Boozman (R-AR), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ashley Moody (R-FL), and Dave McCormick (R-PA) introduced a bill calling for the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. The largely Republican endorsed bill currently has 34 co-sponsors in the House and 10 in the Senate.
Muslim-majority countries that have already banned the Muslim Brotherhood include Abraham Accords signatories the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Kazakhstan, in addition to U.S. allies Egypt, Jordan, and Saudi Arabia. The UAE issued a statement in support of the designations, calling out the Trump administration for “sustained and systematic efforts … to counter violence and destabilizing activities carried out by terrorist Muslim Brotherhood branches wherever they operate.”
Egypt also commended the designations, calling them a “decisive step” that “validates Egypt’s long-standing position that the group is founded on violence, extremism, and incitement and exploits religion to achieve political objectives.” Saudi Arabia also made a statement in support, while Jordan seemed to give tacit approval, with a government spokesman stating that “[t]he Muslim Brotherhood group in Jordan has been dissolved for years, and this was reaffirmed in a court ruling in 2020. All its activities have also been banned since April 2025.” Mere days before the designations, the UAE eliminated some of its scholarships to the United Kingdom, citing a fear of influence of the Muslim Brotherhood on its citizens.
The OFAC declarations mention ways in which both the Egyptian and Jordanian branches of the Muslim Brotherhood materially assist Hamas. For example, just last year, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood worked with Hamas’ military leadership and accepted Hamas funds in efforts to destabilize the Egyptian government. The Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood also provided connections to Hamas terrorists in order to enter Gaza, which included “regularly keeping Hamas abreast of their status and where and when they would bring in fighters.” A member of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood also raised funds for Hamas when he was in Saudi Arabia.
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan has also been involved in terrorism in Jordan last year. The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan additionally participated in building rockets, drones, and explosives, and have funded this abroad through illegal activity. Jordan has also recently charged several Muslim Brotherhood leaders in Jordan of using humanitarian funds for Gaza to financially support Hamas. Jordan found in a recent investigation that the Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood used 44 of its affiliates and other front organizations to funnel $40 million to Hamas. Unfortunately, Jordan has, without explanation, kept most of these 44 affiliates intact.
In Lebanon, The Islamic Group’s armed wing, the al-Fajr Forces, were instrumental in coordinating with both Hamas and Hezbollah to launch rockets from Lebanon to Israel following Hamas’ October 7 attack on the Jewish State. The al-Fajr forces were also preparing, in cooperation with Hamas, to send terrorists from Lebanon into Israel. The Islamic Group also holds one seat in the Lebanese Parliament (Hezbollah holds 13 seats).
The Muslim Brotherhood’s malicious behavior does not stop with its Egyptian, Jordanian, and Lebanese branches. A Turkish-based company called Waqf al-Ummah, whose leadership is composed of Muslim Brotherhood members in both Jordan and Turkey and who have ties to Hamas, has reportedly embezzled half of a billion dollars in funds that was intended for Gaza humanitarian aid. The scandal was even reported on Official PA TV News in November. (The Palestinian Authority, itself a refuge of corruption, is interested in this story given that it is a fair-weathered rival of Hamas, the Muslim Brotherhood wing of the Palestinian-controlled territories within Gaza, Judea and Samaria.)
The Muslim Brotherhood additionally supports the Sudanese Armed Forces, who in turn have attacked Christian civilians and churches in Sudan, supported executing civilians both directly and through Islamist militias, and have used chemical weapons. One of the Islamist militias operating in Sudan, the Al-Baraa Bin Malik Brigade, is affiliated with Sudan’s Muslim Brotherhood, and was sanctioned by the U.S. in September for its ties to Iran.
Due to the Muslim Brotherhood’s support for terrorism through its branches in Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon, the Trump administration was correct in sanctioning these entities. However, in the wake of reported large scale diversion of charity funds to Hamas from Jordan and Turkey, and potential links to war crimes in Sudan, the Trump administration should expand such sanctions.
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