ISGAP Hails U.S. Designation of Three Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Organizations

 

 Washington, D.C. – January 13, 2026 – The Trump administration today designated three Muslim Brotherhood branches as terrorist organizations. The State Department officially designated the Lebanese branch of the Muslim Brotherhood as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). The Jordanian branch and Egyptian branch were each designated as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) because of their support to groups like Hamas.

 

Dr. Charles Asher Small, Executive Director of the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism & Policy (ISGAP), said: “The administration has taken an enormous step to confront the threat that the Muslim Brotherhood poses around the world. ISGAP thanks President Trump, as well as Secretaries Rubio and Bessent, for working to safeguard democracy. The Muslim Brotherhood works from within open and free societies to subvert the values that America and other Western democracies cherish, while advocating for the subjugation of women, the oppression of LGBTQ+ people, and the murder of Jews. We are hopeful that these vital efforts will continue, and ISGAP will keep supporting executive and legislative actions in Washington that aim to dismantle the Brotherhood’s networks and stop its continuing plan to undermine our way of life.”

 

In December, President Trump signed an executive order directing the State Department and Treasury Department to explore designating the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Lebanon, Jordan, and Egypt as terrorist organizations. ISGAP has been working to aid the administration’s efforts by compiling evidence from its research supporting a designation for each of the three branches in the executive order.

 

In November, ISGAP held a high-level policy workshop in Washington coinciding with the publication of its landmark report, The Muslim Brotherhood’s Strategic Entryism into the United States: A Systemic Analysis. The report documents the Brotherhood’s long-term ideological campaign to exploit Western freedoms and undermine democratic practices and culture from within.

 

ISGAP will continue to brief policymakers from both parties, as well as national security professionals in Washington, D.C., and allied capitals, on the findings of its study and on policy options for addressing the Muslim Brotherhood’s long-term strategy while safeguarding core democratic principles.

 

The Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) is a leading international research institute dedicated to the scholarly study of antisemitism, extremism, and ideological movements that threaten democratic societies. Through rigorous research and policy engagement, ISGAP provides governments and institutions with analytical tools to counter hatred and defend democratic values.