4 days ago
Designating Muslim Brotherhood as terrorist organization 'is in the works': ْRubio - Foreign Affairs
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Tuesday that efforts are 'in the works' to designate the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) as a terrorist organization, noting that the process involves detailed internal reviews and legal documentation to withstand potential court challenges.
Rubio said this while responding to a question by Sid Rosenberg on the Sid and Friends morning show: "Why wouldn't you guys designate the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR?"
He stated that the group is among several other groups under consideration as part of a broader review of terrorist designations.
He then delved into the legal challenges that have prevented slapping terrorist sanctions on the Islamist group.
'All of that is in the works,' Rubio responded. 'There are different branches of the Muslim Brotherhood, so you'd have to designate each one of them.'
He added that the US is constantly reviewing groups to designate for what they are: "supporters of terrorists, maybe terrorists themselves, whatever it may be."
'We haven't done this in a long time, so it's – we've got a lot of catch-up to do. And you've mentioned a couple of names, particularly the Muslim Brotherhood, that are of grave concern,' he stated.
'These things are going to be challenged in court,' Rubio explained. 'Any group can say, 'Well, I'm not really a terrorist' — that organization is not a terrorist organization. You have to show your work like a math problem when you go before court.'
'All you need is one federal judge — and there are plenty — that are willing to do these nationwide injunctions and basically try to run the country from the bench. So, we've got to be so careful,' he added.
Rosenberg was referring to the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR for their support of Zohran Mamdani, the self-proclaimed democratic socialist competing in New York City's mayoral race.
Mamdani, a Democrat, has emerged as the clear frontrunner in New York City's mayoral race, securing 19 points ahead of his main contender, Andrew Cuomo, in a Siena College poll.
Egypt listed the Muslim Brotherhood group as a terrorist organization on 25 December 2013, after accusing it of carrying out a suicide bomb attack on a police station that killed 16 people in Mansoura city.
Likewise, Saudi Arabia designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization on 7 March 2014.
The United Arab Emirates also added the Muslim Brotherhood (and local affiliate Al-Islah) to a cabinet list of terrorist organizations in November 2014. The policy has since been enforced in court cases.
Russia banned the group as a terrorist organization by a Supreme Court ruling in 2003.
Tajikistan and Kazakhstan banned the MB via top-court decisions in 2006 as part of broader lists of proscribed groups.
In Libya, the Tobruk-based House of Representatives voted in May 2019 to label the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group. This reflected one side of Libya's split institutions rather than a unified national policy.
Syria also outlawed them in 1980, making mere membership punishable by death.
The United States, the United Kingdom, and the EU have not designated the Muslim Brotherhood as a whole.
However, the US and UK lists include some affiliates (eg, Hamas since 1997 in the US), and US lawmakers periodically introduce bills urging the designation of the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group, but no administration has enacted one.
In May, French President Emmanuel Macron instructed the government to draw up proposals to tackle the influence of the Muslim Brotherhood movement and the spread of political Islamism in France.
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