Donald Trump moves to name some Muslim Brotherhood chapters ‘terrorist organizations’

President Donald Trump on Monday (November 24, 2025) signed an executive order directing top national security officials to begin the process of designating certain chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) and as Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs). The order instructs Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent to undertake the review and follow the statutory steps for potential designations.

The executive order directs to set in motion a process by which certain chapters or other subdivisions of the Muslim Brotherhood shall be considered for designation as Foreign Terrorist Organizations” under section 219 of the INA, and as SDGTs under IEEPA and Executive Order 13224.

The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is described in the order as a “transnational network with chapters across the Middle East and beyond.” The document cites activities by chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt, stating they “engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.”

The order references events following the October 7, 2023, attack in Israel, asserting that “the military wing of the Lebanese chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood joined Hamas, Hezbollah, and Palestinian factions to launch multiple rocket attacks against both civilian and military targets within Israel.” It adds that “a senior leader of the Egyptian chapter of the Muslim Brotherhood, on October 7, 2023, called for violent attacks against United States partners and interests,” and that “Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leaders have long provided material support to the militant wing of Hamas.”

“These activities threaten the security of American civilians in the Levant and other parts of the Middle East, as well as the safety and stability of our regional partners,” the order states.

The policy outlined in the document affirms that “it is the policy of the United States to cooperate with its regional partners to eliminate the capabilities and operations of Muslim Brotherhood chapters designated as foreign terrorist organizations… deprive those chapters of resources, and thereby end any threat such chapters pose to United States nationals or the national security of the United States.”

Under the implementation section, the order directs that within 30 days, the Secretary of State and Secretary of the Treasury “shall submit a joint report to the President… concerning the designation of any Muslim Brotherhood chapters or other subdivisions, including those in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt.” Within 45 days of submitting that report, the secretaries must “take all appropriate action” regarding the designations under applicable U.S. laws and Executive Order 13224.

The order also lays out general provisions noting that it does not alter existing authorities of federal agencies, will be implemented according to applicable law and appropriations, and “is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit… enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States.” It adds that publication costs “shall be borne by the Department of State.”

This article is published in an arrangement with 5WH.