US designates Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organisations
The United States government has officially designated the Muslim Brotherhood (Ikhwanul Muslimin) branches in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan as terrorist organisations. The announcement, made on Tuesday 13 January 2026 local time, follows an executive order from President Donald Trump instructing his administration to compile a blacklist of the organisations.
The US Treasury Department has labelled the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Jordan and Egypt as “Specially Designated Global Terrorists”, whilst the State Department has conferred the more serious designation of “Foreign Terrorist Organisation” (FTO) on the Lebanese branch. The FTO status grants the US broader legal authority to take enforcement action.
The Trump administration contends that these organisations provide support to Hamas and conduct activities harmful to Israeli interests in the Middle East. In an official statement, the Treasury Department declared: “Muslim Brotherhood branches masquerade as legitimate civil organisations, yet behind the scenes, they explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups such as Hamas.”
Under these new designations, providing material support to these organisations in the US constitutes a legal violation. The US is implementing strict economic sanctions to cut off their funding. Specifically, under the FTO label for Lebanon, members of the organisation are barred from entering United States territory.
In response, Salah Abdel Haq, a senior general leader of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, vehemently rejected the designation. He stated the organisation would pursue legal remedies to challenge the decision, which he deemed harmful to millions of Muslims worldwide. He asserted that “this designation lacks credible supporting evidence and reflects foreign pressure from the United Arab Emirates and Israel rather than an objective assessment of US interests.”
Founded in 1928 by Hassan Al Banna in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood maintains numerous political and social branches across the Middle East. In Jordan, its political wing recently won 31 parliamentary seats in the 2024 elections, though the Jordanian government banned the organisation last year on allegations of sabotage plans.
Egypt, which has prohibited the Muslim Brotherhood since a military coup in 2013, welcomed the US action. The Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs called it an important step in addressing extremist ideology. “This is a crucial step in combating extremist ideology that threatens regional stability,” the ministry stated.
Conversely, Al Jamaa Al Islamiya in Lebanon asserted that it operates as a legitimate political movement under Lebanon’s legal framework. The group characterised the US measure as “purely politically motivated to serve the interests of Israeli occupation currently waging aggression in Gaza and Lebanon.”
The Trump policy has also had domestic ramifications within the US. Republican governors in Texas and Florida have quickly moved to designate the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil rights organisation in the US, as a terrorist group due to alleged affiliations with the Muslim Brotherhood. CAIR strongly disputed the allegations and announced it has filed lawsuits against the governments of Florida and Texas for defamation and discrimination.