Policy Alert: New Report Sheds Light on Muslim Brotherhood Terror Ties

Bottom Line Up Front

Despite presenting itself as a mere political movement, the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots have their origins in an extremist ideology, with a long history of supporting terrorism. A recently published memo by the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD) shows how the Brotherhood has spread its extremism and inspired violence around the world.

The new memo maps out the funding, leadership, and history of the Brotherhood’s activity in six countries in the Middle East and serves as a starting point for determining which branches merit U.S. designation under existing terrorism authorities. The authors found that – although it takes different forms – in every case, “violence is part of the story.” While many branches of the Brotherhood have supposed policies of non-violence, the research shows how many branches have often embraced violence when advantageous to their political aims. Even those branches that are not outwardly violent have served as breeding grounds for violent offshoots.

This research lays the groundwork for action. The United States should designate the Muslim Brotherhood and its offshoots as Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTOs). Designating these entities as FTOs would enable the U.S. and its allies to more effectively counter the forces of extremism that continue to fuel violence in the Middle East and around the world. 

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

FDD Action Expert Analysis

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Unpacking the Muslim Brotherhood’s Global Terror Reach

Muslim Brotherhood’s violent extremism: In 1928, Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt with the goal of establishing a new empire and caliphate based on Islamic supremacy. He envisioned something even mightier than the Ottoman Empire, which had collapsed a few years earlier. Then, as now, the ideological thrust of the movement is dedicated to restructuring society and governments according to Sharia law and promotes an extreme agenda. While it often avoids direct attacks, many of its offshoots provide ideological justification, financial backing, and recruitment pipelines for jihadist violence targeting governments in the region as well as in Western countries, including the United States.

Breeding ground and gateway to terror: While the Brotherhood’s branches in the United States and Europe reject violence within their host countries, globally, the Brotherhood is a gateway to terrorism, infusing its members with the religious doctrines and hatred that justify violence. The most radical members have often migrated to violent terrorist organizations or formed their own splinter groups. The U.S.-designated terrorist group Hamas was cofounded by Muslim Brotherhood leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin and stands out for its record of violence and brutality.

Egypt – the original branch and its offshoots: In Egypt, the Brotherhood’s original branch gave rise to Egyptian Islamic Jihad (EIJ), which assassinated President Anwar Sadat in 1981 after he made peace with Israel. In 1993, Brotherhood alumnus Ayman al-Zawahiri took the reins of EIJ and merged it into al-Qaeda. Al-Gama’a al-Islamiyya also emerged from Brotherhood circles in Egypt and was involved in the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Briefly, during the Arab Spring, the Brotherhood formed a political party and its candidate, Mohammed Morsi, became Egypt’s president. Morsi called on Egyptians to “nurse our children and grandchildren on hatred.” After Morsi was ousted in 2013, the Brotherhood and its supporters unleashed a wave of violence against those who backed his removal, even targeting the country’s Coptic Christian communities.

Jordan – non-violence as a temporary tactic: While the Brotherhood had been outlawed since 2020 in Jordan, the government allowed it to operate with relative freedom due to its limited history of violence in Jordan. Unlike other branches of the movement, the Jordanian Brotherhood did not take part in violent episodes during the Arab Spring. That was until April 2025, when authorities announced the uncovering of a plot by 16 members of the Brotherhood to attack “sensitive sites” in Jordan aimed at “targeting national security, sowing chaos, and sabotage.” The government reported that individuals affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood had engaged in “manufacturing rockets and drones” and “recruiting operatives in Jordan and abroad.” The Brotherhood’s violent turn led the government to change its approach, cracking down on its ideology and organizational assets.

Qatar – a critical pillar of support: While the Qatari branch of the Muslim Brotherhood dissolved in 1999, its royal family is a long-time patron of Hamas and other branches. The Qatari-owned and regime-controlled Al Jazeera Media Network projects pro-Hamas and pro-Brotherhood narratives across the region. Doha presents itself as a mediator between warring parties, yet Qatari funding and sanctuary for terrorist leaders promote the violence Doha purports to resolve. While Doha agreed to prohibit financial or political support for “deviant” groups like the Brotherhood and expel its affiliates to ease tensions with other Arab Gulf states, it has not taken sufficient action to follow through and has still largely publicly supported Hamas since October 7.

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What Congress Can Do

Work with regional partners: To isolate Hamas and stem the flow of money and weapons into Gaza, the U.S. should act in concert with other countries in the region and designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

Support the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act: Led by Reps. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL) and Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) in the House and Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) in the Senate, this bipartisan legislation encourages the formal designation of the Muslim Brotherhood. FDDA has endorsed this legislation and encourages members of Congress to cosponsor it. If passed, the bill would implement restrictions to prevent Muslim Brotherhood activity in the United States, block its members from entering the U.S., and develop a pathway for designating its affiliates as terror-sponsoring entities.

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Additional Resources

• Deep dive: Take a look at the authors’ full analysis, their dive into the Brotherhood’s violent manifestations in all six countries they examined, and examples of terrorism linked directly to material support from the Brotherhood. Read “Patient Extremism: The Many Faces of the Muslim Brotherhood” here.
• Wake-up call: FDD Founder and President Clifford May unpacks the Muslim Brotherhood’s origins and why its patient strategy of extremism must be confronted. Read his analysis here.
• Expert Analysis: In addition to the Muslim Brotherhood directly financing terrorism, it has developed a sophisticated media empire that enables and whitewashes the violent extremism it spawns. FDD’s Mariam Wahba recently analyzed the media entities and foreign governments offering support to the Brotherhood and those that use its diplomatic and military leverage to prop up terrorism. Read the full article here.
• Listen Here: Did you know that FDD’s Founder and President, Clifford May hosts the Foreign Podicy weekly? Recently, Mariam Wahba joined to explain the Muslim Brotherhood’s vast media empire. Have a listen here.