The decision by US President Donald Trump to initiate process of designating certain Muslim Brotherhood chapters, specifically mentioning those in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as Foreign Terrorist Organisations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs) marks a significant moment in regional and international politics.
While the Muslim Brotherhood is a ban-Islamic movement, it is already banned and designated as a terrorist entity by several key Arab states, including Egypt. Therefore, US action introduces a powerful new dimension through the lens of international counter-terrorism law and financial sanctions.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, has developed into a transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond. Relevant here, its chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilisation campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.
The US designation process, once finalised, carries tangible legal and economic consequences that could dramatically reshape the operational landscape for the named chapters:
The FTO/SDGT designation allows the US to freeze any assets, the targeted chapters may hold under US jurisdiction and makes it illegal for US citizens and entities to knowingly provide funds or material support to them.
Given the global financial system’s reliance on the US dollar, this is expected to severely curtail the financial and economic activities of the targeted chapters.
The move will likely tighten the noose on the organisation’s political and civil society activities, particularly in the specified countries. It signals US support for the policies of allies, like Egypt and Jordan, which have already outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood.
This decision places significant diplomatic pressure on other countries, especially in Europe and the Middle East, which may host Brotherhood-affiliated entities. The US could potentially sanction countries or individuals providing “safe haven” or support to the designated groups.
The White House fact sheet explicitly linked the designated chapters to actions that “harm their regions, US citizens, and US interests,” citing connections between the Jordanian chapter and Hamas, the Lebanese chapter’s military wing and Hezbollah, and the Egyptian chapter’s leaders for “encouraging violent attacks.”
The designation aligns US policy with Cairo’s perspective on the organisation’s threat to regional stability and national security. It strengthens the official Egyptian position on the group and provides an external layer of legal validation to the domestic ban, especially in terms of international coordination on tracking and interdicting financial flows.
The coming weeks will be critical, as the Secretaries of State and Treasury submit their report and move towards final designations. This process is set to have a deep and lasting impact on the Muslim Brotherhood’s global network, its regional political influence, and the dynamics of US foreign policy in the Middle East.
