Rubio Signals Trump Administration Push to Designate Muslim Brotherhood as Terrorist Organization

Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed Tuesday that the Trump administration is actively pursuing plans to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization, marking the first time a cabinet-level official has publicly acknowledged such efforts are underway. Speaking on the "Sid and Friends in the Morning" radio program, Rubio said the process is "in the works" but warned of significant legal and bureaucratic hurdles that could complicate the designation.

The announcement represents a dramatic escalation in the administration's approach to Middle Eastern politics and domestic Muslim organizations, with Rubio also suggesting that the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), the largest Muslim civil liberties organization in the United States, could face similar scrutiny.

Complex Legal Process Requires Branch-by-Branch Designation

Rubio emphasized the procedural complexity of targeting an organization that operates through multiple regional branches across different countries. "There are different branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, so you'd have to designate each one of them," he explained to Middle East Eye. "These things are going to be challenged in court, right?"

The Secretary of State acknowledged that his understanding of the designation process has evolved since taking office. "We have to be very careful, because these things will be challenged in court. You have to show your work like a math problem," Rubio told The Media Line.

"All you need is one federal judge—and there are plenty—that are willing to basically try to run the country from the bench" — Secretary of State Marco Rubio, describing potential legal challenges

Rubio expressed frustration with potential judicial roadblocks, noting that federal judges can issue nationwide injunctions that would halt the designation process. This concern reflects the administration's broader tensions with the federal judiciary over immigration and national security policies.

Congressional Support Builds Momentum for Designation

The push to designate the Muslim Brotherhood gained legislative momentum in July when Senators Ted Cruz, Tom Cotton, and others introduced the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025. The bill cites the group's ideological support for Hamas, which carried out the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that killed and abducted both Israelis and Americans, according to The Media Line.

The legislation has attracted bipartisan support in the House of Representatives, including backing from Democrats Jared Moskowitz, Tom Suozzi, and Josh Gottheimer. Florida Congressman Mario Diaz-Balart, who sponsored the House version, argued in a press release that the Muslim Brotherhood "poses a direct threat to US national security through radical jihadist attempts to eliminate and destroy America and its allies".

Last week, Senator Tom Cotton sent a letter to the Internal Revenue Service calling for the revocation of CAIR's nonprofit status, alleging "ties to terrorist activities" linked to "Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood," as reported by Middle East Eye.

International Precedent and Allied Designations

Supporters of the designation point to actions taken by U.S. allies in the Middle East as precedent for American policy. Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates have all banned the Muslim Brotherhood, while Jordan recently added the organization to its terrorist list, according to Middle East Eye.

The organization was also designated as a terrorist entity by France, providing European precedent for the American initiative. These international designations stem from the group's political activities and alleged connections to extremist organizations across the Middle East.

Understanding the Muslim Brotherhood's Origins and Structure

The Muslim Brotherhood was established in Egypt in the late 1920s as a political organization founded on Islamic principles. The group gained significant popularity following the 2011 Arab Spring protests, which led to the overthrow of several autocratic rulers across the region.

"Islamophobia and anti-Muslim sentiments have created a narrative in the US where democracy is good, except when religious Muslims win to govern their own countries" — Raed Jarrar, advocacy director for Democracy for the Arab World Now

In 2012, following the toppling of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Muslim Brotherhood's candidate, Mohammed Morsi, won Egypt's first internationally-monitored democratic election. However, he was removed by the military within a year, imprisoned, and died in custody in 2019, as detailed by Middle East Eye.

Democracy for the Arab World Now advocacy director Raed Jarrar told Middle East Eye that the movement represents an ideology rather than a centralized organization, operating independently across different countries in the Middle East and North Africa. This structure would require country-specific designations to hold up in U.S. courts.

Academic and Policy Expert Skepticism

Despite congressional and administrative support for the designation, several Middle East experts have questioned the national security rationale for targeting the Muslim Brotherhood. George Washington University professor Nathan Brown, an expert on Middle East politics and board member at the American University in Cairo, told Middle East Eye there is no way the Muslim Brotherhood poses a threat to U.S. national security.

Former State Department senior staffer Shahed Amanullah, who served under Secretaries Hillary Clinton and John Kerry, expressed concern about the current administration's approach. "You have some very heated anti-Muslim forces [in the State Department] that are a little bit more eager to try to find and make those connections, but they're going to run into the same problem: you can't. There's no smoking gun anywhere, because there's no real, tangible connection," Amanullah told Middle East Eye.

CAIR Faces Unprecedented Government Scrutiny

Rubio's comments marked the first time a cabinet-level official has suggested designating CAIR as a terrorist organization, representing a significant escalation in government scrutiny of the largest Muslim civil rights organization in America. The Muslim Public Affairs Committee (MPAC) condemned the potential designation as an attempt to "smear" a domestic group.

"For the Secretary of State to comment on Cair... that's extremely problematic and concerning to us. He does not have the right to say that. He does not have the authority. He does not have the mandate" — Haris Tarin, MPAC vice president of policy and programming

MPAC's Haris Tarin, a former senior policy advisor to the Secretary of Homeland Security under three different presidents, told Middle East Eye that targeting CAIR represents an unprecedented departure from previous administrations. "The conversation around Cair [now]... that was never in previous administrations, including Biden, Trump 1.0, Obama, and Bush," he said.

Connection to Gaza Conflict and Pro-Palestinian Activism

The timing of the designation efforts coincides with ongoing protests and activism related to the conflict in Gaza. Tarin suggested that the targeting of Muslim American institutions is connected to their support for pro-Palestinian organizations and causes.

The Trump administration has made dismantling pro-Palestinian activism a priority, taking action against international students and prestigious universities for protests and demonstrations. Students have faced detention and deportation, while institutions have been sued for hundreds of millions of dollars by the federal government, according to Middle East Eye.

Jewish Voice for Peace has noted that the administration's approach follows the Heritage Foundation's "Project Esther" report, described as "a blueprint for using the federal government and private institutions to dismantle the Palestine solidarity movement and broader US civil society, under the guise of 'fighting antisemitism'".

Gaza Policy and Regional Implications

During the same radio interview, Rubio reiterated the administration's position that Hamas must be dismantled entirely to achieve lasting peace in Gaza. "You can have a ceasefire for 30, 60, 90 days. You will not have peace in Gaza as long as Hamas exists," he told The Media Line.

The Secretary of State dismissed recent European statements supporting Palestinian statehood as "symbolic" moves driven by domestic political considerations rather than substantive policy initiatives. This position aligns with the administration's broader approach of supporting Israeli military objectives while rejecting international calls for Palestinian self-determination.

Constitutional and Civil Liberties Concerns

Civil liberties advocates have raised significant concerns about the precedent of designating domestic organizations as terrorist entities. MPAC's Tarin emphasized that Americans should be "extremely alarmed when it comes to designating a domestic institution" precisely because it is funded by American citizens rather than foreign entities.

The potential designation of CAIR would require the Department of Justice to compile clear evidence and file formal charges, according to former government officials. This process would face intense scrutiny from federal courts and civil liberties organizations concerned about First Amendment protections for religious and political advocacy.

Historical Context and Previous Attempts

Republican lawmakers have previously advocated for Muslim Brotherhood designation without success, making Rubio's confirmation significant as the first cabinet-level acknowledgment of active efforts. The designation process has historically faced resistance from career officials at the State Department and intelligence agencies who questioned the national security justification.

Newsweek opinion writer Josh Hammer argued in a recent piece that "multiple American administrations—both Republican and Democratic—have neglected to designate its various branches for what they truly are: terrorist organizations," calling the Muslim Brotherhood "the mother's milk of modern Sunni jihadism".

Path Forward Remains Uncertain

As the Trump administration moves forward with designation efforts, the process faces significant legal, bureaucratic, and political challenges. The need to designate multiple regional branches separately, combined with likely court challenges and civil liberties concerns, suggests a complex and potentially lengthy process ahead.

The outcome of these efforts could fundamentally reshape the relationship between the U.S. government and Muslim American organizations, while potentially affecting diplomatic relationships with Middle Eastern allies where Muslim Brotherhood affiliates remain active in politics. The administration's success in navigating the legal challenges Rubio described will likely determine whether these designation efforts advance beyond the planning stage to actual implementation.