US President Donald Trump has ordered his administration to start labeling branches of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as "terrorist" organizations, citing their alleged ties to Hamas. The move is part of a broader crackdown on Israel's foes in the region, which Washington has intensified under Trump's presidency.
The White House claims that the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders in Jordan have provided material support to Hamas, while its Lebanese branch, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, has sided with Hamas and Hezbollah in their conflict with Israel. However, it is unclear what specific evidence the US government has gathered on these allegations.
Trump's order directs the secretary of state and treasury secretary to consult with the US intelligence chief and produce a report on the designation within 30 days. If the report confirms the Muslim Brotherhood branches are indeed "terrorist" organizations, they would be officially designated as such within 45 days, at which point blacklisting and economic sanctions could be imposed.
Critics argue that this move is part of a broader pattern of targeting Muslim American groups and charities with unfounded accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), warned that such designations would not impact Muslim American advocacy groups but could still harm relief organizations serving millions abroad.
Analysts say Trump's order was aimed at appeasing domestic audiences and right-wing activists who have long pushed for the Muslim Brotherhood to be labeled a terrorist organization. However, Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, described the move as "very amateurish foreign policy" that has little credibility in the Middle East.
The designation would make it illegal to provide material support to the group, ban current and former members from entering the US, and enable economic sanctions to strangle their revenue streams. However, many experts believe this move is more aimed at domestic television audiences and donors who support the Republican Party than at actually addressing terrorism in the region.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been a target of repression across the Middle East for decades, with many countries banning or outlawing its activities. Critics warn that blacklisting the group could further enable authoritarianism and restrict free political expression in the region.
The White House claims that the Muslim Brotherhood's leaders in Jordan have provided material support to Hamas, while its Lebanese branch, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, has sided with Hamas and Hezbollah in their conflict with Israel. However, it is unclear what specific evidence the US government has gathered on these allegations.
Trump's order directs the secretary of state and treasury secretary to consult with the US intelligence chief and produce a report on the designation within 30 days. If the report confirms the Muslim Brotherhood branches are indeed "terrorist" organizations, they would be officially designated as such within 45 days, at which point blacklisting and economic sanctions could be imposed.
Critics argue that this move is part of a broader pattern of targeting Muslim American groups and charities with unfounded accusations of ties to the Muslim Brotherhood. Nihad Awad, executive director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), warned that such designations would not impact Muslim American advocacy groups but could still harm relief organizations serving millions abroad.
Analysts say Trump's order was aimed at appeasing domestic audiences and right-wing activists who have long pushed for the Muslim Brotherhood to be labeled a terrorist organization. However, Rami Khouri, a distinguished fellow at the American University of Beirut, described the move as "very amateurish foreign policy" that has little credibility in the Middle East.
The designation would make it illegal to provide material support to the group, ban current and former members from entering the US, and enable economic sanctions to strangle their revenue streams. However, many experts believe this move is more aimed at domestic television audiences and donors who support the Republican Party than at actually addressing terrorism in the region.
The Muslim Brotherhood has been a target of repression across the Middle East for decades, with many countries banning or outlawing its activities. Critics warn that blacklisting the group could further enable authoritarianism and restrict free political expression in the region.
. I mean, come on, no specific evidence? That's just suspicious to me. And what about all those groups that are gonna get hurt by these designations? Like, what if some relief organization tries to help people in a war-torn area and suddenly they're considered "terrorist" just 'cause they were giving food to someone who might be part of Hamas? That's just not right 
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. This whole thing just reeks of desperation to me...
like what exactly did they do to harm america?? 
i mean we all know trump has a history of making rash decisions that get him out of trouble, but this one takes the cake 
i'm worried about the ripple effect it's gonna have on the middle east and the impact it'll have on innocent people who just wanna practice their faith without being judged or targeted 
Rami Khouri is totally right though, this move is super amateurish foreign policy that only serves to further polarize us in the world 
this move is super suspicious, like they just made it up out of thin air 
. what's next? labeling whole communities as "terrorist" organizations? doesn't sound like a good idea to me 
. what's the real reason behind this move, anyway? seems like a bunch of hooey 
. Like, has he actually looked into the evidence? 
Like, charities and relief organizations are already struggling as it is. Do we really need to make things more complicated? 
. And what's with all these designations being aimed at domestic audiences and right-wing activists who want to get their hands on some "Islamophobic" talking points? 
It's like Trump's trying to whip up fear-mongering vibes over here, rather than actually tackling the real issues in the Middle East 
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anyway i'm all for transparency but labeling organizations as "terrorist" without concrete evidence is just gonna lead to more problems, especially in the middle east where political freedom is already super restricted. and what about those muslim american groups that get harmed by this? it's like the us is trying to create more enemies 
. It's already hard enough for them to feel seen and heard in a country where Islamophobia is still prevalent 
. Adding more restrictions and accusations of terrorism just feels like another layer on top of the existing problems 
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. We need more dialogue, understanding, and cooperation in the Middle East if we want to make real progress 
. This whole thing just seems so... amateurish 
that's just not fair to them or their families my heart goes out to nihad awad and the council on american islamic relations they're already fighting for so many rights its like we need a bigger umbrella of love and acceptance in this country instead of division and fear 
. We need to think about the real-world consequences of this move and how it'll affect ordinary people who don't deserve to be caught in the crossfire 
. And what's with the 30-day report thing? Sounds like a PR stunt to me 
. This move is all about appeasing the right-wing crowd and scaring off Muslim Americans from running for office 
... not about actually making the world a safer place 
but seriously this has major implications for middle eastern politics and its gonna lead to more repression and authoritarianism which we cant even 
. It's like they're trying to demonize an entire group of people based on some sketchy connections to Hamas. Like, I get that terrorism is a serious issue, but labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as "terrorist" organizations without solid evidence feels like a huge overreach 
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