An agent of terror

The Muslim Brotherhood is arguably the most dangerous, destructive, and destabilizing Islamist group in recent history. While many Muslim-majority countries are increasingly wary of this organization and moving to ban it outright, several non-Muslim Western nations continue to permit its operations, allowing it to amass resources and expand its influence.

What accounts for this divergence in how nations address radical Islamist groups? The explanation is straightforward: Muslim governments are well aware of the damage that groups driven by political Islam can inflict on societal cohesion, whereas Western nations—often constrained by political correctness and fears of being labeled Islamophobic or racist—tend to be either unaware of these dangers or hesitant to directly link the group’s harmful actions to its religious ideology.

A recent development in Muslim-majority Jordan is noteworthy.

On April 23, Jordan announced a comprehensive ban on the Muslim Brotherhood, severing the country’s decades-long ties with the notorious movement. The decision followed allegations that the Islamist group was plotting to sabotage the government, aiming to overthrow the king and destabilize the kingdom. The plot was uncovered after the arrest of 16 individuals accused by the government of covertly working to undermine stability, security, and national unity.

This ban decisively cuts all ties with the Islamist group. It not only prohibits all Muslim Brotherhood activities but also shutters its offices, seizes its assets, and bans the promotion of its ideology. Effectively, any interaction with the group or its affiliates is now a criminal offense in Jordan, with legal consequences promised for violators. This marks the most severe crackdown on the Islamist group to date, ending its legal presence in Jordan.

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in 1928, following the collapse of the Ottoman Empire. Its founder, Hasan al-Banna, a revivalist Muslim preacher, sought to reestablish the Islamic caliphate, viewing Islam not merely as a religious practice but as a political force destined to govern the world and rule over both Muslims and non-Muslims. To encapsulate his ambitions for the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Banna crafted its cherished slogan, translated from Arabic as: “Allah is our ultimate goal. The Prophet Muhammad is our leader. The Quran is our constitution. Jihad is our path. Dying for Allah’s cause is our greatest hope.” This explicitly Islamic motto serves as the guiding framework for the group’s global political aspirations.

Despite these overtly Islamic elements, Jordan—a majority-Muslim nation—has banned this Muslim revivalist group. Notably, no one has accused Jordan of Islamophobia. There have been no protests on streets or university campuses condemning the actions of the Muslim-majority Jordanian kingdom or labeling it anti-Islamic. If a similar ban were enacted in a Western nation, it would likely trigger a barrage of accusations—Islamophobia, bigotry, or racism—amplified by liberal media outlets. Such propaganda, however, holds little sway in a Muslim nation that recognizes the dangers of political Islam and prioritizes rigorous scrutiny, thorough evaluation, and official investigations over shielding Islamists.

Jordan is not the first Muslim nation to ban the Muslim Brotherhood.

Egypt designated the group a terrorist organization and banned it in 2013, followed by Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates in 2014. Bahrain, Syria (under the Assad regime), and Libya have similarly banned the group or classified it as a terrorist organization. While proponents of the Muslim Brotherhood may claim that these bans are politically motivated—given the authoritarian Muslim governments and the group’s popularity among the masses due to its religious zeal—there is little doubt that these governments have recognized the threat political Islam poses to national security and societal stability. This is evident in the fact that several Asian nations (e.g., Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan) have also banned the Brotherhood. Even Russia designated the group as terrorist in 2003.

Clearly, the prohibition of the group extends beyond Muslim nations and is not merely a reflection of authoritarian, politically motivated actions by Muslim-majority governments against the organization. These Muslim countries, with direct experience of radical Islam and its malevolent objectives, have observed how Islamist groups have consistently sown disorder and leveraged social initiatives to penetrate societal structures, destabilizing nations, occasionally through violent means to pursue political ends.

The aspirations of political Islam are limitless, aiming ultimately to establish Islam’s dominance over all other religions and governments. The Muslim Brotherhood serves as the parent entity for numerous radical terrorist organizations, such as Hamas, the Taliban, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, al-Shabab, and others. The United States has not yet classified the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, despite efforts before and during the first Trump administration, likely due to insufficient evidence that the group as a whole participates in violence. The United Kingdom and Germany have placed partial restrictions on Brotherhood activities but have stopped short of labeling it a terrorist group.

Western nations must implement measures akin to those enacted by many Muslim-majority countries before it is too late.