Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far

Download PDF (2 Pages) Listen Cite Republish

In Brief

Core point: U.S. policy now designates named Muslim Brotherhood chapters rather than the movement as a whole.¹
On the record: Executive Order 14362 was signed on November 24, 2025; Federal Register notices listing Lebanon’s chapter as a Foreign Terrorist Organization appeared on January 14, 2026, and Sudan’s on March 16, 2026.²
Also listed: State and Treasury listed the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for support to Hamas.³
Allied practice: Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have long banned the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization; Jordan banned it in mid-2025.⁴
Open file: Yemen’s Islah party, co-founded by a cleric Treasury designated in 2004, has denied Brotherhood ties four times since 2013.⁵

The Designation Record

Executive Order 14362, “Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” was signed on November 24, 2025, and published on November 28.⁶ The State Department’s Federal Register notices followed: the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and, with Muhammad Faqzi Taqqosh, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, both published on January 14, 2026.⁷ A notice designating the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood followed on March 16, 2026.⁸

Treasury said the listed branches “purport to be legitimate civic organizations” but “explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the designations “the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort.”⁹

The Case and the Counter-Case

Earlier listings already covered Brotherhood offshoots, including Hamas and Liwa al-Thawra.¹⁰ MEF authors argued for designating the whole movement, founded in 1928, on the grounds that its ideology and charities feed terrorist groups.¹¹ Opponents have argued the reverse. Former State Department specialist Michele Dunne wrote in 2019 that joining countries that designate “for political reasons” would erode U.S. credibility, and William McCants and Benjamin Wittes argued the Brotherhood is “too diffuse and diverse to characterize.”¹²

MEF’s Sam Westrop notes a longer arc: by 2009 the federal government had halted prosecutions of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas networks.¹³

Branches and Money Outside the Listings

Yemen. Islah co-founder Abd al-Majid al-Zindani was designated by Treasury in January 2004; Treasury designated Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, head of Islah’s al-Jawf branch, in December 2016. Islah has denied Brotherhood ties in 2013, 2016, 2018 and September 2025.¹⁴ MEF’s Michael Rubin reports Saudi backing for Islah after the executive order (analysis).¹⁵

Turkey. Trend GYO, designated by Treasury as 75 percent owned by Hamas, trades on the Borsa Istanbul under the ticker TDGYO.¹⁶

Legislative Record

S. 2293, the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, was introduced on July 15, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.¹⁷

Questions for Oversight

What criteria does the State Department apply in deciding which national chapters meet the statutory standard, and which chapters remain under review?
How does Treasury distinguish the designated chapters from charities and companies that share their leaders or funding?
What is the current assessment of Islah, given the 2004 designation of its co-founder and the 2016 designation of a branch head?
How are publicly traded companies designated for Hamas ownership, such as Trend GYO, handled with allied market regulators?
How are evidence and listing criteria coordinated with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan?
What reporting to Congress accompanies listings under Executive Order 14362, and on what schedule?

Sources

Executive Order 14362, “Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” Federal Register 90 (November 28, 2025): 55033, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/28/2025-21664/designation-of-certain-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially; Dexter Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation of Muslim Brotherhood Chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,” Focus on Western Islamism, January 21, 2026, https://www.meforum.org/fwi/fwi-news/counter-islamists-applaud-trump-designation-of-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-in-lebanon-jordan-egypt. ↩
“Designation of Certain Muslim”; U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood,” Federal Register 91 (January 14, 2026): 1595, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00573/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood; U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood,” Federal Register 91 (March 16, 2026): 12664, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05072/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-sudanese-muslim-brotherhood. ↩
Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.” ↩
Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.” ↩
Khaled Alyemany, “Will Yemen’s Islah Party Escape Accountability Again?” Middle East Forum Observer, April 30, 2026, https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/will-yemens-islah-party-escape-accountability-again. ↩
“Designation of Certain Muslim.” ↩
“Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation”; U.S. Department of State, “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Designations of Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood and Muhammad Faqzi Taqqosh,” Federal Register 91 (January 14, 2026): 1595, https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00571/specially-designated-global-terrorist-designations-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood-and-muhammad-faqzi. ↩
“Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation.” ↩
Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.” ↩
Jim Hanson, “Ted Cruz Is Right. Designate the Muslim Brotherhood,” Middle East Forum Observer, June 6, 2025, https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/ted-cruz-is-right-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood. ↩
Eric Navarro, “Trump Must Designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terror Organization,” Middle East Forum Observer, January 29, 2025, https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/trump-must-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood-as-a-terror-organization. ↩
Hanson, “Ted Cruz Is Right.” ↩
Sam Westrop, “What’s Next for America’s Counter-Islamism Policy?” Middle East Forum Observer, September 11, 2026, https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/whats-next-for-americas-counter-islamism-policy. ↩
Alyemany, “Will Yemen’s Islah Party.” ↩
Michael Rubin, “Saudi Arabia Thumbs Nose at Trump on Muslim Brotherhood,” Middle East Forum Observer, December 30, 2025, https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/saudi-arabia-thumbs-nose-at-trump-on-muslim-brotherhood. ↩
Amine Ayoub, “The ‘Zombie’ Caliphate,” Middle East Forum Online, January 1, 2026, https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/the-zombie-caliphate. ↩
Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, S. 2293, 119th Cong. (2025), https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2293. ↩

Version History

Version	Date	Change
1.0	October 4, 2026	First release.

Listen, Cite, Republish

Listen to This Note

Narrated audio of the In brief and body sections, 4.0 minutes. The voice is synthetic (ElevenLabs text to speech); the script is the published text without footnote markers. Download MP3.

Audio Script

M E F Policy Note 2026 dash 03. Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far. Published October 4, 2026 by the Middle East Forum.

In brief.

Core point. U.S. policy now designates named Muslim Brotherhood chapters rather than the movement as a whole.

On the record. Executive Order 14362 was signed on November 24, 2025; Federal Register notices listing Lebanon’s chapter as a Foreign Terrorist Organization appeared on January 14, 2026, and Sudan’s on March 16, 2026.

Also listed. State and Treasury listed the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for support to Hamas.

Allied practice. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the U A E and Bahrain have long banned the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization; Jordan banned it in mid-2025.

Open file. Yemen’s Islah party, co-founded by a cleric Treasury designated in 2004, has denied Brotherhood ties four times since 2013.

The designation record.

Executive Order 14362, “Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” was signed on November 24, 2025, and published on November 28. The State Department’s Federal Register notices followed: the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and, with Muhammad Faqzi Taqqosh, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, both published on January 14, 2026. A notice designating the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood followed on March 16, 2026.

The case and the counter-case.

Earlier listings already covered Brotherhood offshoots, including Hamas and Liwa al-Thawra. M E F authors argued for designating the whole movement, founded in 1928, on the grounds that its ideology and charities feed terrorist groups. Opponents have argued the reverse. Former State Department specialist Michele Dunne wrote in 2019 that joining countries that designate “for political reasons” would erode U.S. credibility, and William McCants and Benjamin Wittes argued the Brotherhood is “too diffuse and diverse to characterize.”

M E F’s Sam Westrop notes a longer arc: by 2009 the federal government had halted prosecutions of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas networks.

Branches and money outside the listings.

Yemen. Islah co-founder Abd al-Majid al-Zindani was designated by Treasury in January 2004; Treasury designated Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, head of Islah’s al-Jawf branch, in December 2016. Islah has denied Brotherhood ties in 2013, 2016, 2018 and September 2025. M E F’s Michael Rubin reports Saudi backing for Islah after the executive order.

Turkey. Trend GYO, designated by Treasury as 75 percent owned by Hamas, trades on the Borsa Istanbul under the ticker TDGYO.

Legislative record.

Senate bill 2293, the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, was introduced on July 15, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.

Questions for oversight and full source notes appear in the text and P D F versions of this note.

Cite This Note

Chicago (Notes and Bibliography)

Middle East Forum, “Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far,” MEF Policy Note MEF-PN-2026-03, version 1.0 (Philadelphia: Middle East Forum, October 4, 2026), https://notes.meforum.org/notes/muslim-brotherhood-designation/.

BibTeX

@techreport{mefmefpn202603,
  author      = {{Middle East Forum}},
  title       = {Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far},
  institution = {Middle East Forum},
  address     = {Philadelphia},
  type        = {MEF Policy Note},
  number      = {MEF-PN-2026-03},
  year        = {2026},
  month       = {10},
  note        = {Version 1.0},
  url         = {https://notes.meforum.org/notes/muslim-brotherhood-designation/}
}

Download .bib

RIS (EndNote, Zotero, Mendeley)

TY  - RPRT
AU  - Middle East Forum
TI  - Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far
T2  - MEF Policy Notes
SN  - MEF-PN-2026-03
PY  - 2026
DA  - 2026/10/04
PB  - Middle East Forum
CY  - Philadelphia
ET  - 1.0
UR  - https://notes.meforum.org/notes/muslim-brotherhood-designation/
KW  - Islamism
KW  - Counterterrorism
KW  - Designations
ER  -

Download .ris

Republish This Note

This note is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-ND 4.0). You may republish it free of charge, in print or online, under the conditions below.

Conditions

Credit the Middle East Forum as the author and link to this page: https://notes.meforum.org/notes/muslim-brotherhood-designation/
Run the text as published, with its title. Do not edit, abridge, or retitle it.
Keep the numbered notes and their links to the original sources.
Include the note number (MEF-PN-2026-03) and version (1.0). If we publish a later version, update or mark your copy.
Do not imply that the Middle East Forum endorses your outlet, a candidate, or a position on any bill.
Questions about reuse: info@meforum.org.

Copy-Ready HTML

HTML of the Full Note with Credit Line and Source Links

<h1>Designating the Muslim Brotherhood: The Record So Far</h1>
<p><em>Middle East Forum · MEF Policy Note MEF-PN-2026-03 · October 4, 2026 · version 1.0</em></p>
<h2>In brief</h2><ul>
<li><strong>Core point:</strong> U.S. policy now designates named Muslim Brotherhood chapters rather than the movement as a whole.<sup>1</sup></li>
<li><strong>On the record:</strong> Executive Order 14362 was signed on November 24, 2025; Federal Register notices listing Lebanon’s chapter as a Foreign Terrorist Organization appeared on January 14, 2026, and Sudan’s on March 16, 2026.<sup>2</sup></li>
<li><strong>Also listed:</strong> State and Treasury listed the Lebanese, Jordanian and Egyptian chapters as Specially Designated Global Terrorists for support to Hamas.<sup>3</sup></li>
<li><strong>Allied practice:</strong> Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain have long banned the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization; Jordan banned it in mid-2025.<sup>4</sup></li>
<li><strong>Open file:</strong> Yemen’s Islah party, co-founded by a cleric Treasury designated in 2004, has denied Brotherhood ties four times since 2013.<sup>5</sup></li>
</ul>
<h2>The designation record</h2>
<p>Executive Order 14362, “Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” was signed on November 24, 2025, and published on November 28.<sup>6</sup> The State Department’s Federal Register notices followed: the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and, with Muhammad Faqzi Taqqosh, as Specially Designated Global Terrorists, both published on January 14, 2026.<sup>7</sup> A notice designating the Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood followed on March 16, 2026.<sup>8</sup></p>
<p>Treasury said the listed branches “purport to be legitimate civic organizations” but “explicitly and enthusiastically support terrorist groups like Hamas.” Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the designations “the opening actions of an ongoing, sustained effort.”<sup>9</sup></p>
<h2>The case and the counter-case</h2>
<p>Earlier listings already covered Brotherhood offshoots, including Hamas and Liwa al-Thawra.<sup>10</sup> MEF authors argued for designating the whole movement, founded in 1928, on the grounds that its ideology and charities feed terrorist groups.<sup>11</sup> Opponents have argued the reverse. Former State Department specialist Michele Dunne wrote in 2019 that joining countries that designate “for political reasons” would erode U.S. credibility, and William McCants and Benjamin Wittes argued the Brotherhood is “too diffuse and diverse to characterize.”<sup>12</sup></p>
<p>MEF’s Sam Westrop notes a longer arc: by 2009 the federal government had halted prosecutions of Muslim Brotherhood and Hamas networks.<sup>13</sup></p>
<h2>Branches and money outside the listings</h2>
<p>Yemen. Islah co-founder Abd al-Majid al-Zindani was designated by Treasury in January 2004; Treasury designated Al-Hasan Ali Ali Abkar, head of Islah’s al-Jawf branch, in December 2016. Islah has denied Brotherhood ties in 2013, 2016, 2018 and September 2025.<sup>14</sup> MEF’s Michael Rubin reports Saudi backing for Islah after the executive order (analysis).<sup>15</sup></p>
<p>Turkey. Trend GYO, designated by Treasury as 75 percent owned by Hamas, trades on the Borsa Istanbul under the ticker TDGYO.<sup>16</sup></p>
<h2>Legislative record</h2>
<p>S. 2293, the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, was introduced on July 15, 2025, and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations.<sup>17</sup></p>
<h2>Questions for oversight</h2><ol><li>What criteria does the State Department apply in deciding which national chapters meet the statutory standard, and which chapters remain under review?</li><li>How does Treasury distinguish the designated chapters from charities and companies that share their leaders or funding?</li><li>What is the current assessment of Islah, given the 2004 designation of its co-founder and the 2016 designation of a branch head?</li><li>How are publicly traded companies designated for Hamas ownership, such as Trend GYO, handled with allied market regulators?</li><li>How are evidence and listing criteria coordinated with Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Jordan?</li><li>What reporting to Congress accompanies listings under Executive Order 14362, and on what schedule?</li></ol>
<h2>Notes</h2><ol><li>Executive Order 14362, “Designation of Certain Muslim Brotherhood Chapters as Foreign Terrorist Organizations and Specially Designated Global Terrorists,” <i>Federal Register</i> 90 (November 28, 2025): 55033, <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/28/2025-21664/designation-of-certain-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/11/28/2025-21664/designation-of-certain-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-as-foreign-terrorist-organizations-and-specially</a>; Dexter Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation of Muslim Brotherhood Chapters in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt,” <i>Focus on Western Islamism</i>, January 21, 2026, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/fwi/fwi-news/counter-islamists-applaud-trump-designation-of-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-in-lebanon-jordan-egypt">https://www.meforum.org/fwi/fwi-news/counter-islamists-applaud-trump-designation-of-muslim-brotherhood-chapters-in-lebanon-jordan-egypt</a>.</li><li>“Designation of Certain Muslim”; U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood,” <i>Federal Register</i> 91 (January 14, 2026): 1595, <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00573/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00573/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood</a>; U.S. Department of State, “Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation of Sudanese Muslim Brotherhood,” <i>Federal Register</i> 91 (March 16, 2026): 12664, <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05072/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-sudanese-muslim-brotherhood">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/03/16/2026-05072/foreign-terrorist-organization-designation-of-sudanese-muslim-brotherhood</a>.</li><li>Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.”</li><li>Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.”</li><li>Khaled Alyemany, “Will Yemen’s Islah Party Escape Accountability Again?” <i>Middle East Forum Observer</i>, April 30, 2026, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/will-yemens-islah-party-escape-accountability-again">https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/will-yemens-islah-party-escape-accountability-again</a>.</li><li>“Designation of Certain Muslim.”</li><li>“Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation”; U.S. Department of State, “Specially Designated Global Terrorist Designations of Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood and Muhammad Faqzi Taqqosh,” <i>Federal Register</i> 91 (January 14, 2026): 1595, <a href="https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00571/specially-designated-global-terrorist-designations-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood-and-muhammad-faqzi">https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2026/01/14/2026-00571/specially-designated-global-terrorist-designations-of-lebanese-muslim-brotherhood-and-muhammad-faqzi</a>.</li><li>“Foreign Terrorist Organization Designation.”</li><li>Van Zile, “Counter-Islamists Applaud Trump Designation.”</li><li>Jim Hanson, “Ted Cruz Is Right. Designate the Muslim Brotherhood,” <i>Middle East Forum Observer</i>, June 6, 2025, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/ted-cruz-is-right-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood">https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/ted-cruz-is-right-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood</a>.</li><li>Eric Navarro, “Trump Must Designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Terror Organization,” <i>Middle East Forum Observer</i>, January 29, 2025, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/trump-must-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood-as-a-terror-organization">https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/trump-must-designate-the-muslim-brotherhood-as-a-terror-organization</a>.</li><li>Hanson, “Ted Cruz Is Right.”</li><li>Sam Westrop, “What’s Next for America’s Counter-Islamism Policy?” <i>Middle East Forum Observer</i>, September 11, 2026, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/whats-next-for-americas-counter-islamism-policy">https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/whats-next-for-americas-counter-islamism-policy</a>.</li><li>Alyemany, “Will Yemen’s Islah Party.”</li><li>Michael Rubin, “Saudi Arabia Thumbs Nose at Trump on Muslim Brotherhood,” <i>Middle East Forum Observer</i>, December 30, 2025, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/saudi-arabia-thumbs-nose-at-trump-on-muslim-brotherhood">https://www.meforum.org/mef-observer/saudi-arabia-thumbs-nose-at-trump-on-muslim-brotherhood</a>.</li><li>Amine Ayoub, “The ‘Zombie’ Caliphate,” <i>Middle East Forum Online</i>, January 1, 2026, <a href="https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/the-zombie-caliphate">https://www.meforum.org/mef-online/the-zombie-caliphate</a>.</li><li>Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, S. 2293, 119th Cong. (2025), <a href="https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2293">https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/2293</a>.</li></ol>
<p><em>This Policy Note was first published by the <a href="https://notes.meforum.org/notes/muslim-brotherhood-designation/">Middle East Forum</a> and is republished under a <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/4.0/">Creative Commons Attribution-NoDerivatives 4.0 International license</a>.</em></p>