WASHINGTON, D.C.—President Donald J. Trump signed on Monday, November 24, executive order titled, “DESIGNATION OF CERTAIN MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD CHAPTERS AS FOREIGN TERRORIST ORGANIZATIONS AND SPECIALLY DESIGNATED GLOBAL TERRORISTS,” that launches the formal process to designate specific Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt as foreign terrorist organizations under the Immigration and Nationality Act and as specially designated global terrorists under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.
The Muslim Brotherhood is an Islamist organization founded in 1928 in Egypt by Hassan al-Banna as a religious, social, and political movement aimed at promoting Islamic principles and resisting Western influence. It has been designated a terrorist organization by the governments of Austria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Russia, and the United Arab Emirates.
The order identifies violent actions by the targeted chapters that threaten U.S. nationals and interests, including rocket attacks launched by the Lebanese branch alongside Hamas and Hezbollah after October 7, 2023; a public call for attacks on U.S. partners by a senior Egyptian Brotherhood leader on the same date; and longstanding material support provided to Hamas’s military wing by Jordanian Brotherhood leaders.
Designating the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) would freeze assets, impose travel bans on members, bar U.S. persons from providing any support, and trigger criminal penalties for violations.
The Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury, in consultation with the Attorney General and Director of National Intelligence, must submit a joint recommendation to the President within 30 days. Final designations and enforcement actions are to follow within 45 days of that report.
On November 18, 2025, Texas Governor Greg Abbott issued a proclamation declaring the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations, prohibiting them from purchasing property in Texas and authorizing civil actions against affiliates.
CAIR, established in 1994 as a Muslim civil-rights organization, has repeatedly denied organizational links to the Brotherhood or Hamas, though it appeared as an unindicted co-conspirator in the 2008 Holy Land Foundation terrorism-financing case.
The executive order comes one week after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met with President Trump at the White House on November 18, 2025, to discuss defense cooperation and economic partnerships. Saudi Arabia designated the Brotherhood a terrorist organization in 2014.
Alleged affiliated (or influenced) U.S.-based organizations with the Muslim Brotherhood are:
- Muslim Student Association
- Islamic Society of North America
- North American Islamic Trust
- International Institute of Islamic Thought
- SAAR Foundation
- American Muslim Council
- Muslim American Society
- Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR)
- Islamic Association for Palestine
- Holy Land Foundation
- United Association for Studies and Research
Author: Mario Lotmore
