The Muslim Brotherhood sharply criticized US President Donald Trump’s executive order to begin designating certain chapters of the organization as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs), calling the move “detached from reality.”
In a statement released Wednesday and quoted by Middle East Eye, the group rejected Trump’s allegations of terrorist activity as “unsupported by evidence.”
The directive, it said, was “politically motivated and lacks any credible legal or security basis,” warning that “this Executive Order sets a dangerous precedent.”
The Brotherhood argued that the designation “undermines US national security and regional stability, and emboldens those who pushed for this outcome to justify repression, collective punishment, and economic sanctions.”
It accused Trump of bowing to pressure from Israel and the UAE. “The facts have not changed. What has changed is the level of foreign pressure on the United States, particularly from the UAE and Israel, to adopt policies that serve external agendas rather than the interests of the American people,” the statement said.
Trump’s order, signed on Monday, directs that “certain chapters or other subdivisions” of the Brotherhood be considered for designation, specifically mentioning Lebanon, Egypt, and Jordan.
The order stated those chapters “engage in or facilitate and support violence and destabilization campaigns that harm their own regions, United States citizens, and United States interests.”
Trump’s move came days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist organizations and transnational criminal organizations.
The designation authorizes heightened enforcement against both organizations and their affiliates and prohibits them from purchasing or acquiring land in Texas.
Senator Ted Cruz previously introduced a bill seeking to formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, a move that could financially cripple the global Islamist group.
The Muslim Brotherhood has already been designated a terrorist organization by several countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.