A radical Islamic group is set to be designated as terrorists under President Donald Trump ‘s leadership. Speaking with Just The News on Sunday, Trump noted that the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) will be designated as a foreign terrorist organization ‘in the strongest and most powerful terms.’ Trump also added that the ‘final documents are being drawn.’ Trump’s plans are a stark departure from the policy practiced by at least one former US administration.
Representatives of the Muslim Brotherhood met with a number of US officials, including staffers from former President Barack Obama’s White House, back in 2012 after Egypt’s revolution. Back during the Obama era, White House spokesman Tommy Vietor told Politico that ‘Following Egypt’s revolution’ the US ‘broadened … engagement to include new and emerging political parties and actors.’ Lawmakers in both chambers of Congress, mainly Republicans but also a few Democrats, have pressed the State Department to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in August that the designation was ‘in the works,’ noting that the review remains extensive and deliberate because the MB operates through numerous branches and affiliates that must be evaluated individually. Rubio also noted in an August interview that the State Department was ‘constantly reviewing for groups to designate for what they are: supporters of terrorists, maybe terrorists themselves, whatever it may be.’
‘We haven’t done this in a long time, so it’s – we’ve got a lot of catch-up to do. And you’ve mentioned a couple names, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, that are of grave concern,’ Rubio also noted at the time. Several Middle Eastern governments have already moved against the group. Egypt and Jordan have banned the Muslim Brotherhood outright, while Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain have formally classified it as a terrorist organization.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott has already certified both the MB and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations in the Lone Star State. Abbott noted that the goals of the groups were ‘to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,’ and that the designation meant they were no longer ‘welcome’ in the state and were ‘prohibited from acquiring any real property interest in Texas.’
