Designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a Transnational Terrorist Organization
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WASHINGTON, D.C. — Under President Trump’s second administration, lawmakers are once again moving to formally label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
On July 16, 2025, Representatives Mario Díaz-Balart (R-FL) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL), co-chairs of the Friends of Egypt Caucus, introduced the bipartisan Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025. The measure would direct the President and Secretary of State to classify the Brotherhood as a global terrorist group, prohibit financial dealings with it, block entry of its members into the United States, and require regular reports on its affiliates tied to terrorism.
Díaz-Balart stressed the group’s influence across the Middle East, noting that Hamas — a Brotherhood offshoot — has carried out deadly attacks against Israel, including the October 7, 2023 massacre that killed 1,200 people, most of them civilians. “The Brotherhood’s network spreads violence and poses a direct threat to U.S. security,” he said.
Though often presenting itself as a political and social movement, the Brotherhood’s history is steeped in violence. In Egypt during the mid-20th century, its secret paramilitary wing carried out bombings and assassinations, including the killing of Egyptian Prime Minister Mahmoud an-Nuqrashi in 1948. After the overthrow of Brotherhood leader and Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, authorities accused its supporters of organizing riots, attacks on police stations, and assaults on churches.
Hamas, founded in 1987 as the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood, remains its most notorious offshoot, responsible for suicide bombings, rocket fire, kidnappings, and terror campaigns against Israeli civilians. Brotherhood-linked figures and ideas have also inspired al-Qaeda and ISIS, fueling global jihadist movements.
Evidence has also surfaced of long-term Brotherhood strategy in North America. A 1991 internal memorandum seized by the FBI outlined a “civilization-jihadist” plan to embed influence within U.S. institutions — from schools and charities to politics and media — with the stated aim of undermining Western civilization from within. The document, entered into evidence during the Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing trial, urged stealth, patience, and coalition-building to expand Brotherhood influence across American society.
Internationally, the group faces outright bans in several Arab states. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Jordan have all outlawed the Brotherhood, citing its violent record and destabilizing ideology. In contrast, Qatar and Turkey continue to act as chief patrons, offering money, safe haven, and political backing. Doha has funneled billions of dollars into Brotherhood-linked movements and remains Hamas’s largest state sponsor, while Ankara has sheltered exiled Brotherhood leaders and defended the group on the global stage.
The Obama and Biden administrations resisted designating the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, despite repeated calls to do so. President Trump, however, has signaled he is prepared to move forward, citing the group’s violent record and the precedent set by Arab allies who already view the Brotherhood as a terrorist threat.
If passed, the legislation would mark a sharp shift in U.S. counterterrorism policy and could reshape relations with Turkey and Qatar, both of which maintain close ties to the Brotherhood and Hamas.
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