Saudi Arabia Welcomes US Designation of Muslim Brotherhood Branches as Terrorist Groups

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) — Saudi Arabia on Tuesday welcomed a decision by the United States to designate the Muslim Brotherhood branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon as terrorist organizations, describing the move as a strong affirmation of international efforts to combat extremism and terrorism.

In an official statement issued by the Kingdom’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Riyadh said it supports all measures that contribute to enhancing security, stability, and prosperity in Arab countries, as well as safeguarding regional and global security.

The ministry reiterated Saudi Arabia’s longstanding position rejecting extremism and terrorism in all its forms, welcoming Washington’s designation as a step in that direction.

The Saudi statement comes as part of a broader regional response following the US administration’s decision to formally blacklist several branches of the transnational Sunni Islamist movement. The US State Department on Tuesday designated the Lebanese branch, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya, as a foreign terrorist organization, while the Treasury Department listed the Egyptian and Jordanian branches as specially designated global terrorists, citing alleged support for Hamas and involvement in destabilizing activities.

Egypt was among the first countries to publicly welcome the US move. Cairo described the designation as a “significant blow” to extremist ideology and a validation of its long-held stance toward the Muslim Brotherhood, which it has classified as a terrorist organization for more than a decade.

Egypt’s foreign ministry said the US decision reflects the threat posed by the group to regional and international security and aligns with Egypt’s assessment of the Brotherhood as a movement based on violence, extremism, and incitement.

Founded in Egypt in 1928 by Islamist ideologue Hassan al-Banna, the Muslim Brotherhood initially emerged as a social and religious movement advocating governance rooted in Islamic principles. Over time, it evolved into one of the most influential—and controversial—Islamist movements in the Arab and Muslim world, inspiring affiliated parties and organizations across the region.

While the Brotherhood’s leadership has long argued that the movement renounced violence decades ago and seeks change through elections and peaceful political participation, critics maintain that several of its offshoots have retained armed wings or links to militancy.

The group’s early history included armed activity against British colonial rule and Israel, as well as involvement in political violence in mid-20th-century Egypt.

The Brotherhood’s relationship with the Egyptian state has been marked by repeated cycles of repression and limited tolerance. After being outlawed following the 1952 coup, it resurfaced in the 1970s and later became Egypt’s strongest opposition force under former president Hosni Mubarak.

Its brief rise to power after the 2011 uprising ended with the ouster of President Mohammed Morsi in 2013, followed by a sweeping crackdown under President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi. The group’s leadership was imprisoned or forced into exile, and its supreme guide, Mohammed Badie, remains incarcerated.

Beyond Egypt, Brotherhood-linked movements have played varied and often controversial roles. In Syria, the group waged an armed rebellion against the government in the late 1970s and early 1980s, culminating in the 1982 Hama crackdown. In the Palestinian territories, Hamas—founded in 1987—emerged as a Brotherhood offshoot and openly adopted armed resistance against Israel.

In Lebanon, al-Jamaa al-Islamiya operates as a Sunni political party but also maintains an armed wing, which has recently participated in cross-border hostilities following the Israel-Hamas war.

The Brotherhood remains deeply polarizing across the Middle East. Türkiye and Qatar have generally been sympathetic to its ideology, while Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates consider it a destabilizing force. Jordan recently imposed a sweeping ban on the group, citing alleged security threats and plots.

Washington said its designation was based on findings that the Brotherhood’s branches in Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon engage in or facilitate violence and destabilization campaigns that threaten regional stability, US citizens, and American interests.

Egyptian and Saudi officials alike said the move sends a clear international signal against Islamist extremism and reinforces regional efforts to counter groups they view as posing a sustained security threat across the Middle East.