US bill targets influential Islamist group for foreign threat designation

United States Senator Ted Cruz. [Reuters]

United States Senator Ted Cruz has introduced a bill in Congress seeking to designate a major transnational Islamist movement as a foreign threat.

The proposed legislation identifies the Muslim Brotherhood, an organisation with ideological and political roots across the Middle East and North Africa, urging the US State Department to classify it as a foreign terrorist organisation (FTO) or explain why it will not.

Cruz, a Republican from Texas, argues some factions affiliated with the Brotherhood have historically supported extremism and violence, and that a formal designation would strengthen US national security tools.

“The Muslim Brotherhood has direct ties to terrorism, and it’s long past time for the United States to formally recognise that fact,” he noted.

The bill, titled the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2025, mirrors similar efforts introduced in previous administrations — none of which have advanced into law.

Intelligence agencies including the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) have in the past cautioned against a broad designation, citing the group's decentralised structure and its legal political activities in countries like Jordan and Tunisia.

Critics warn that such a designation could complicate US relations in the Arab world, threaten civil liberties, and fuel Islamophobic narratives.

Human rights organisations have also raised concerns that the label has been misused by some governments to justify crackdowns on political opposition and peaceful religious groups.

Founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood describes itself as a peaceful Islamic reform movement.

It has been banned in Egypt and the United Arab Emirates, but operates legally in several other countries, with branches ranging from politically moderate to hardline.

The bill will now proceed through committee review in the US Senate.

Any final designation would ultimately depend on approval from the Secretary of State, following a formal investigation.