The Jewish Chronicle, June 2025
Texas Senator Ted Cruz has set his sights on the Muslim Brotherhood. The first four attempts fell short, but Cruz is persevering. In the coming weeks, he will introduce a “modernised” version of the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act, which he first introduced in 2015. “Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Russia” have designated the Brotherhood as a terrorist organisation, Dr. Lorenzo Vidino, Director of the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, noted, but they have “different legal requirements, have their own systems . . . have different approaches” than the United States.
Those differences help explain not only why cementing this designation hasn’t been straightforward, but also why opinions vary about how to best oppose the Muslim Brotherhood. Lara Burns, Head of Terrorism Research at the Program on Extremism at The George Washington University, spent over two decades working for the Federal Bureau of Investigation, including as the lead agent on the seminal Holy Land Foundation terrorism financing case. Burns observed that it’s difficult for Westerners to grasp the Brotherhood’s worldview, including their centuries-long timeline. Their plans begin with winning “hearts and minds” before using “violent jihad to usurp whatever non-Islamist government” exists.
