Trump signs watered-down Muslim Brotherhood ban, drawing fire from allies

President Trump signs executive order instructing State Department to draft plan to blacklist some branches of the Muslim Brotherhood movement, while falling short of full ban.

By World Israel News Staff

President Donald Trump signed an executive order Monday targeting the Muslim Brotherhood movement, instructing Cabinet members to investigate branches of the radical Sunni movement ahead of a possible terror blacklisting.

The measure tasks the State Department and the Treasury Department with gathering information on various branches of the Muslim Brotherhood to assess whether they should be designated as either Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs) or Specially Designated Global Terrorists (SDGTs).

Under Trump’s order, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will have 30 days to file a report summarizing the joint investigation.

If the report determines that any Muslim Brotherhood chapters should be blacklisted as FTOs or SDGTs, the respective departments will be required to impose relevant sanctions within 45 days.

“The order’s ultimate aim is to eliminate the designated chapters’ capabilities and operations, deprive them of resources, and end any threat such chapters pose to US nationals and the national security of the United States,” the White House said.

The executive order said the Muslim Brotherhood chapters in Egypt, Lebanon, and Jordan would all be scrutinized, while the chapters in Turkey and Qatar – both key American allies with powerful influence inside the Trump administration – were noticeably absent from the list.

Some right-wing allies of the president expressed disappointment at Monday’s order, claiming it did little in practice and appeared to shield Qatari support for the Muslim Brotherhood.

“Today, the United States was Hoodwinked by Qatar,” right-wing activist and Trump booster Laura Loomer wrote on X Tuesday morning.

“United States of Qatar. Jihad is our way.”

“The Muslim Brotherhood designation signed by President Trump today doesn’t have any teeth, as it doesn’t include the Muslim Brotherhood in Qatar, Turkey, or Syria, which are the most aggressive ‘chapters’ of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Loomer noted that in two of the three countries listed in the order, the Muslim Brotherhood is already banned.

“The Executive Order mentions chapters of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan & Egypt, where the Muslim Brotherhood is already banned and outlawed.”

“Looks like my scoop has been confirmed. A week ago, I exclusively reported that the plan to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as one sweeping terror designation was killed off at the request of Qatar, the biggest financier of the Muslim Brotherhood.”

Others, however, lauded the move.

“I applaud President Trump for his leadership in advancing and announcing today’s executive order,” said Senator Ted Cruz.

“The Muslim Brotherhood and its branches encourage, facilitate, and provide resources for conducting jihadist terrorism across the world.”