Trump Puts Controversial Muslim Group On Terror Watch List

President Trump just launched a systematic dismantling of an organization many Americans have never heard of, yet one that intelligence experts connect to nearly every major Islamic terrorist group threatening the West today.

Story Snapshot

Trump signed Executive Order 14362 in November 2025 to designate specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists
By January 2026, the State and Treasury Departments completed initial designations targeting Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood affiliates with asset freezes and travel bans
The move represents the first systematic targeting of national Muslim Brotherhood chapters rather than just individual affiliates like Hamas
Bipartisan congressional support backs the designations, with legislation introduced to prohibit U.S. funding and member entry
The action stops short of designating the entire global Muslim Brotherhood due to its decentralized structure spanning over 70 countries

The Organization Behind the World’s Deadliest Terror Networks

The Muslim Brotherhood emerged in Egypt in 1928 as a transnational Islamist movement promoting political Islam across more than 70 countries. While presenting itself as a political and social organization, U.S. intelligence officials trace direct lineage from the Brotherhood to Hamas, with connections alleged to ISIS and al-Qaeda. Hamas, already designated as a Foreign Terrorist Organization since 1997, operates as an acknowledged Muslim Brotherhood offshoot. Regional allies including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates designated the entire Brotherhood as a terrorist organization years ago, pressuring Washington to follow suit.

A Methodical Approach to a Complex Target

President Trump’s Executive Order 14362, signed on November 24, 2025, directed the Secretaries of State and Treasury to evaluate specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters within 30 days for designation under existing terrorism statutes. This strategy differs markedly from previous attempts during Trump’s first term, which stalled amid concerns about designating such a sprawling organization wholesale. By targeting individual national chapters in Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan, the administration sidesteps the operational challenges of blacklisting an amorphous global network while still disrupting key nodes.

Swift Implementation with Immediate Consequences

The Treasury and State Departments moved decisively following the executive order’s 30-day deadline. By January 2026, they formally designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood, known as al-Jamaa al-Islamiyah, and its Secretary General Muhammad Fawzi Taqqosh as both Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists. Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent declared the Muslim Brotherhood maintains a longstanding record of perpetrating acts of terror, emphasizing the administration would deploy full authorities to disrupt these networks. The designations trigger asset freezes, transaction prohibitions, and travel bans, cutting off U.S. financial system access.

Bipartisan Momentum in Congress

Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart, a Florida Republican, and Jared Moskowitz, a Florida Democrat, reintroduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act with bipartisan backing from the Friends of Egypt Caucus. Their legislation mandates comprehensive designations under the Anti-Terrorism Act, Foreign Terrorist Organization statutes, and Specially Designated Global Terrorist frameworks, while imposing embargoes blocking U.S. financial support. Senator Ted Cruz amplified the effort, citing Muslim Brotherhood support for Hamas following the October 7, 2023 attacks on Israel. Díaz-Balart emphasized the need to prohibit American dollars from enabling what he characterized as the Brotherhood’s dangerous activities threatening regional stability and U.S. interests.

Financial Warfare Against Terror Financing

The designations represent more than symbolic gestures. Financial institutions must now freeze assets connected to designated Muslim Brotherhood chapters and block transactions, with severe penalties for violations. The Treasury Department specifically aims to disrupt funding pipelines that flow from Brotherhood chapters to operational terror groups. NGOs and charities with Muslim Brotherhood links face heightened scrutiny under the new enforcement regime. This financial warfare approach mirrors successful strategies used against other terror networks, cutting off the money supply that sustains operations, recruitment, and attacks.

Strategic Limitations and Calculated Restraint

Despite pressure from allies and some congressional voices, the administration avoided designating the entire global Muslim Brotherhood organization. Analysts at War on the Rocks noted the conceptual and operational challenges inherent in blacklisting such a diffuse movement. The Muslim Brotherhood’s decentralized structure, with semi-autonomous chapters operating under varied political contexts from parliamentary participation to armed resistance, makes wholesale designation legally and diplomatically complex. This measured approach reflects lessons learned from Trump’s first-term attempts and recognizes that precision targeting of terror-linked chapters proves more enforceable than sweeping designations.

Regional Implications and Allied Coordination

Egypt and Israel stand to benefit most directly from the U.S. designations, gaining American financial enforcement muscle behind their own domestic Muslim Brotherhood crackdowns. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has waged a sustained campaign against Brotherhood influence since taking power, viewing the organization as an existential threat to his government. Israeli officials have long argued that Western tolerance of Muslim Brotherhood political fronts provides ideological cover and financial support for groups like Hamas. The coordination between U.S. action and regional ally priorities strengthens counterterrorism cooperation while potentially straining relationships with countries where Brotherhood affiliates participate in legitimate politics.

Expanding the Counterterrorism Toolkit

The Muslim Brotherhood designations fit within Trump’s broader second-term pattern of aggressive Foreign Terrorist Organization and Specially Designated Global Terrorist listings. The administration designated Houthi rebels in January 2025, Mexican cartels in February 2025, and even domestic group Antifa in September 2025 via executive order. Critics argue this expansive approach dilutes the designation’s meaning and legal foundation, traditionally reserved for organizations primarily engaged in terrorism. Supporters counter that evolving threats demand flexible tools, and the Muslim Brotherhood’s documented connections to active terror groups justify the classifications regardless of the organization’s political activities.

The Progenitor Debate

Characterizing the Muslim Brotherhood as the progenitor of ISIS, al-Qaeda, and Hamas remains contentious among terrorism scholars. The Hamas connection stands on solid ground, with the organization explicitly founded as the Brotherhood’s Palestinian branch in 1987. Linkages to al-Qaeda and ISIS prove more complex and indirect. Ideological influences and individual member crossover exist, but direct organizational lineage remains disputed. However, from a policymaking perspective focused on disrupting support networks rather than academic precision, the shared Islamist ideology and documented financial flows provide sufficient justification. The designation strategy targets operational terror support rather than settling historical debates about organizational genealogy.