Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act Reintroduced

Recently, the 2025 Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act was introduced in the House, co-chaired by six Republican senators along with Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.) and Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) as part of the Egyptian Caucus.

This bill seeks to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, updating earlier legislation first proposed by Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) back in 2015. This time, Cruz is joined by a number of Republican senators, including Ashley Moody (R-Fla.), Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), and Dave McCormick (R-Pa.).

According to McCormick, “The Hamas terrorists proudly call it ‘one of the wings of the Muslim Brotherhood’… It has served as a support system for some of the worst actors globally for decades. Indeed, the U.S. has categorized Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization since October 1997.”

The findings of the bill state that certain branches of the Muslim Brotherhood aim to incite instability and weaken U.S. allies in the Middle East, including countries like Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, where they are also designated as terrorist organizations.

It’s noteworthy that the U.S. has been relatively late in officially labeling the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. For instance, the Egyptian government banned the Muslim Brotherhood back in 1948 under King Farouk. After coming to power in 1954, Gamal Abdel Nasser enforced another ban, claiming that a member had attempted to assassinate him.

In Syria, the regime banned the Brotherhood in 1980 and even imposed a death penalty for membership. The current Syrian government, led by former jihadist Ahmed al-Sharaa, still retains harsh penalties against the Brotherhood.

Recently, U.S. allies in the region have shown a similar approach. Bahrain, which hosts the U.S. 5th Fleet, along with Saudi Arabia and the UAE—both of which have U.S. military bases—also took steps to ban the organization. The Egyptian government followed suit in 2013 after the tumultuous presidency of Mohamed Morsi, with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the UAE banning the group the following year, citing attempts to undermine their governments.

Moreover, Jordan, home to U.S. military bases, recently labeled the Brotherhood an illegal organization, believing they posed a threat to the Hashemite regime. After uncovering a plot, the Jordanian government arrested 16 members of the group.

Critics of Cruz’s past efforts to categorize the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization have argued that such laws flatten discussions regarding Arab countries that have already banned the group and could potentially fuel Islamophobia in the U.S.

Many organizations supporting the legislation are known as pro-Israel groups, as the Brotherhood’s factions have historically opposed Israel. Members fought against the new Jewish state during the 1948 war, and their affiliates, like Hamas, continue to do so today.

It’s intriguing that when Egypt and Syria first banned the Brotherhood, they were not on friendly terms with Israel. Similarly, Gulf states that filed similar bans back in 2014 did so without any ties to Israel. Their motivations seemed more aligned with preserving internal stability than matters with Israel.

Interestingly, most U.S. allies, including France—a vocal critic of Israel—have imposed restrictions on organizations like the Brotherhood.

Given these circumstances, it may be timely for the White House to align with its regional allies and support Congressional efforts to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. This action could align with the overall policies pursued during the Trump administration, which sought to limit Hamas and promote stability in the Middle East as America pulls back from intense conflicts.