White House Working to Designate Muslim Brotherhood a Terror Group

US President Donald Trump is spearheading a push to designate the Muslim Brotherhood a foreign terrorist organization and impose sanctions on the global body, which promotes the implementation of political systems based on a strict interpretation of Islamic law. The group gained mainstream notoriety as the most organized movement during the 2011 Arab Spring, when it managed to assume power in multiple Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, the historical leader along with Saudi Arabia of the Sunni Muslim world. Many analysts argue that the Brotherhood’s ideology spawned numerous terrorist groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State. As a result, Cairo and Riyadh, in addition to several other Gulf nations, have blacklisted the Brotherhood and imprisoned many of its leaders. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has led the charge, and during a visit last month to Washington, he reportedly lobbied Trump to proscribe the Brotherhood. According to US media, both Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Adviser John Bolton back the initiative, although there is a divide within the Trump Administration. Some defense and foreign policy officials reportedly believe the legal grounds are shaky and that the move could backfire given that regional allies Turkey and Qatar, in particular, are ardent backers of the Brotherhood and offshoots such as Hamas in the Gaza Strip.