Countering Muslim Brotherhood extremism
Sourced facts on the organisation and its ideology, never on Muslims or Islam.
Draft, under review: this content has not yet been approved for publication.
Government designations
Verified actions only
| Country | Action | Date | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Egypt | Muslim Brotherhood declared a terrorist organisation; Prime Ministerial Decree 579/2014 | Dec 2013 / Apr 2014 | Reuters; US Library of Congress (exact URLs pending) |
| United Arab Emirates | Cabinet terrorist list includes the Muslim Brotherhood organisation and groups, the UAE Muslim Brotherhood and Al-Islah | 15 Nov 2014 | WAM (Emirates News Agency); Federal Law No. 7 of 2014 (exact URLs pending) |
Other designations, such as United States action on specific chapters, will be added only once verified from official government pages.
How we counter extremist narratives
- Answer claims with sourced facts, not insults.
- Name the organisation and the ideology precisely; never generalise to a faith or a people.
- Highlight the voices of coexistence across the region.
Background
Origins
Hassan al-Banna founded the Muslim Brotherhood in 1928 in Ismailia, Egypt. Britannica describes it as a religio-political organisation, Islamist in orientation (Encyclopaedia Britannica). It had an armed branch in the 1940s and officially renounced violence in the 1970s (Britannica).
More designations
| Government | Date | What was designated | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Saudi Arabia | 7 Mar 2014 (in effect 9 Mar 2014) | The Interior Ministry's first list named the Muslim Brotherhood alongside al-Qaeda branches and others | Saudi Interior Ministry statement (Asharq Al-Awsat archive); BBC News, 7 Mar 2014 |
| United States | 14 Jan 2026 (Federal Register) | The State Department designated the Lebanese Muslim Brotherhood a Foreign Terrorist Organization and a Specially Designated Global Terrorist | Federal Register (FTO); Federal Register (SDGT) |
Bahrain is left out of this table because we have not yet found an official source for a designation.
Organisation, ideology and faith are different things
The designations above name organisations and their branches. They do not name a religion or a people (UAE list; Federal Register). The Muslim Brotherhood is a political movement founded in the twentieth century. Islam is a world faith, and Muslims hold a wide range of views. We criticise the ideology and the misinformation, never Muslims or Islam.
The Abraham Accords Declaration, signed by Muslim-majority states, commits to "end radicalization" and to promote dialogue among "the three Abrahamic religions" (State Department).
Figures and dates were checked against the linked sources on 27 October 2026.