U.S. republicans push to label Muslim Brotherhood terrorists—again

A renewed push in Washington to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation may gain more traction than past efforts.

On July 17, Senator Ted Cruz, a Republican from Texas, introduced the bill, stating that the group was “committed to the overthrow and destruction of America and other non-Islamist governments across the world,” reports The National. He implored America to follow many governments in the Middle East in condemning the group as terrorists “expeditiously.”

The Senator also accused the group of bankrolling Hamas, the de facto Palestinian Authority currently at war with Israel. Fellow Republican Senator Tom Cotton backed the legislation, saying the Brotherhood “preaches death to Israel, the United States, and other Western governments.”

The muslim brotherhood, founded in 1928 in Egypt, sprang from anti-colonial resistance. While its members originally condoned the use of violence to achieve political change, the main branch renounced this belief in the 1970s. The group rose to power in Egypt following the Arab uprisings of 2011, but it was outlawed only a few years later after mass protests and the intervention of the military.

Several countries have designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, and Russia.

Cruz has introduced similar bills five times before without success. This time, things might play out differently; not only are the Republicans in control of Congress, but Israel’s brutal siege of Gaza has drawn attention to Hamas’ ideological roots, which can be traced back to the Brotherhood.

This intensified scrutiny is clear to see in Europe, where efforts to crack down on “political Islam” are apparent. In France, recent reports from the Interior Ministry have highlighted the Brotherhood’s alleged influence on civil society.

Jordan, once host to a legally tolerated Brotherhood offshoot, also banned the organisation in April after an alleged armed plot against the kingdom.

A similar bill was introduced in June in the House of Representatives. Introducing a bill in both chambers at around the same time is often aimed at expediting the legislative process.

The National/ Maghrebi