Jordan Bans Muslim Brotherhood, Declares Group Illegal

Asharq Al-Awsat

24-04-2025

Jordan has officially outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, ending decades of relations that oscillated between coexistence and confrontation.
Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh announced the decision at a press conference in Amman on Wednesday, declaring all activities linked to the group prohibited and stressing that any affiliation with the Brotherhood would now be considered a violation of the law.
"The group is now illegal," Al-Farrayeh said, underlining that the move places the Brotherhood outside the bounds of lawful political and social engagement in the kingdom.
The decision marks a significant shift in Jordan's political landscape, where the Brotherhood once held considerable influence despite intermittent government crackdowns.
While the Brotherhood has not issued an official response, its political wing, the Islamic Action Front - represented in parliament by dozens of lawmakers - said on Wednesday evening that it remains committed to its national role as an 'independent Jordanian political party, entirely separate from any other entity.'
Al-Farrayeh said that membership in the Muslim Brotherhood is now prohibited, along with any promotion of its ideas. 'All offices and premises used by the group, whether solely or in conjunction with other entities, will be shut down,' he said.
Al-Farrayeh also warned political parties, media outlets, social media users, and associations against publishing or sharing content related to the group. He said authorities had accelerated the work of a designated committee tasked with seizing the Brotherhood's assets, both movable and immovable.
The clampdown follows the recent arrest of 16 individuals in what officials called the 'Chaos Cells' case. Security agencies alleged the suspects were involved in manufacturing rockets using improvised tools, possessing explosives and firearms, hiding a ready-to-launch missile, and developing drone technology. The plans, authorities said, included recruiting and training individuals within Jordan and sending them abroad for further instruction.
The developments mark a dramatic escalation in Jordan's stance against a group that once held sway over segments of public and political life in the kingdom.
The Palestinian group Hamas has called on Jordan to release the 16 suspects accused of plotting attacks inside the kingdom, saying their actions were motivated by support for Palestine and posed no threat to Jordan's security.
In response, Al-Farrayeh accused members of the now-dissolved Muslim Brotherhood of operating covertly to destabilize the country.
'It has been proven that individuals from the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood were working in the shadows, engaging in activities that undermine stability, disrupt national unity, and threaten public order and security,' Al-Farrayeh said.
The crackdown comes as Jordan moves to implement a 2020 court ruling that dissolved the Brotherhood, which was founded in the kingdom in 1945. Authorities had previously avoided enforcing the decision in what Jordanian sources described as a strategy of 'containment,' but officials say the group failed to respond with 'responsible conduct.'
While the Brotherhood has been outlawed, its political arm - the Islamic Action Front - continues to operate. The party, which insists it is entirely independent of the Brotherhood, won 31 of 138 seats in last September's parliamentary elections.
The distinction between the party and the banned group is now under renewed scrutiny, as the government seeks to distance state institutions from any perceived Brotherhood influence.
Jordanian authorities are continuing to draw a line between the banned Muslim Brotherhood and its licensed political wing, but political sources say the distinction may be tested in the coming days.
Senior officials told Asharq Al-Awsat that decision-making circles are still committed to separating the outlawed Brotherhood from the Islamic Action Front, which is officially recognized under Jordan's political parties law. However, they warned that the legal process surrounding the so-called 'Chaos Cells' case - expected to go to trial next week- could shift that calculus.
'There is concern that any escalation by the party, whether through street mobilization or social media platforms, could force decision-makers to reconsider the party's legal standing,' one source said, adding that authorities may invoke laws that could lead to its dissolution and end what they described as the Brotherhood's dominance over Islamic political representation in the kingdom.
Islamic Action Front Secretary-General Wael Saqqa reaffirmed the party's independence, saying: 'We continue to carry out our national role as a fully independent Jordanian political party, unaffiliated with any other organization.'
He stressed the Islamic Action Front's commitment to the Jordanian constitution and laws, expressing full confidence in the judiciary.
Meanwhile, security forces have raided and inspected Brotherhood offices across the capital Amman and several provinces as part of a broader move to seize the group's properties.
Sources also told Asharq Al-Awsat that Islamic Action Front offices were searched as well, with officials seeking to ensure that no Brotherhood-related documents or materials were being stored on party premises.
Al-Farrayeh has warned that individuals or entities found to be involved in criminal activities linked to the Brotherhood or the 'Chaos Cells' plot will face legal action, as the government continues its sweeping clampdown.
Speaking during the announcement of the ban, Al-Farrayeh said authorities would act based on the findings of ongoing court proceedings.
'Appropriate measures will be taken against any person or group proven to be engaged in criminal acts connected to these cases or the dissolved group,' he said.
Al-Farrayeh also accused Brotherhood members of attempting to destroy large volumes of documents on the same night officials revealed details of the alleged plot last week.
'They tried to smuggle and destroy significant quantities of documents from their offices in an effort to conceal suspicious activities and affiliations,' he claimed.
The minister said the government's actions stem from its 'firm commitment to protecting society and shielding it from acts that threaten public order and distort the values of responsible political engagement.'
Jordanian political sources told Asharq Al-Awsat that further escalations may follow, particularly concerning the Jordanian Teachers' Syndicate, an entity long linked to the Brotherhood's political agenda.
Tensions between the government and the Brotherhood have simmered for over a decade, particularly during the 2010-2013 'Jordanian Spring' protests. Officials accused the group of exploiting the unrest to gain political leverage, particularly in its campaign to reinstate the Teachers' Syndicate, which was suspended by court order in 2020.
The syndicate, one of the kingdom's largest civil organizations, has been a flashpoint in the ongoing struggle between the state and Islamist political actors.
The Jordanian Teachers' Syndicate, long dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood and its political wing, remains in legal limbo nearly four years after a court ordered its closure and the suspension of its activities.
The syndicate, which had been led by Brotherhood-affiliated figures for multiple terms, was frozen by a July 2020 court ruling that also mandated the closure of all its offices for two years. At the time, summonses were issued for the union's president and board members in connection with ongoing legal proceedings.
However, despite the expiration of the suspension period, the union has not resumed operations. Political sources say successive governments - those of Prime Ministers Omar Razzaz (2018–2020) and Bisher Khasawneh (2020–2024) - chose not to enforce the court ruling fully, seeking to avoid public backlash over a politically sensitive issue.
The uneasy status quo was upended following the shock results of last September's parliamentary elections. The Islamic Action Front and Brotherhood-affiliated candidates secured around 460,000 votes, nearly a third of the 1.6 million ballots cast in the party-list segment of the vote, despite a pool of 5 million eligible voters.
The results underscored the Brotherhood's enduring grassroots appeal and reignited debate over the group's political footprint, as Jordan intensifies efforts to dismantle what officials describe as parallel structures that challenge state authority.