Trump initiates process to designate Muslim Brotherhood groups as terrorist

US President Donald Trump has initiated a formal process to classify certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organizations, following the signing of a new executive order aimed at tightening policy towards this. The move marks one of the most significant steps yet.

According to the executive order, the Trump administration has instructed key members of the national security team to prepare the groundwork for officially designating specific wings of the muslim brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. 

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Besant have reportedly been directed to begin the procedural work required for it.

The order further mandates Rubio and Besant to collaborate with the US Attorney General and the Director of National Intelligence to conduct a comprehensive assessment. This review will determine whether branches of the Muslim Brotherhood operating in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan meet the criteria for formal terrorist designation under US law.

The White House has also released a fact sheet outlining the steps the administration plans to take in advancing the process. In its statement, the administration claimed that the Muslim Brotherhood fuels extremist campaigns in the Middle East and supports movements seen as hostile to US interests and American allies in the region.

This development follows a controversial move just days earlier, when Texas Governor Greg Abbott announced a ban on two prominent Muslim organizations, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR).

The decision sparked intense debate, with supporters citing security concerns and critics warning of political overreach and threat to civil rights.