The international arena is witnessing an escalation in political and legal developments related to the Muslim Brotherhood, against the backdrop of warnings issued by US President Donald Trump in which he described the group as “the greatest threat at the present time,” warning of the expansion of its activities into American and European cities. Attention is turning to the procedures for legal classification and prosecution of the organization’s financial networks, amid estimates by Egyptian experts that these developments herald a new phase of confrontation that extends beyond the borders of the Middle East.
Trump’s statements coincide with American and European movements aimed at re-evaluating and classifying the group’s branches, in exchange for decisive Egyptian measures based on judicial rulings and official listings targeting individuals and entities inside and outside the country, which places the future of the organization and its financial networks before unprecedented (unprecedented) legal challenges.
In this context, Major General Hassan Abbas, a member of the Defense and National Security Committee in the Egyptian Senate, confirmed in statements to Al-Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net that the American president’s positions reflect a radical shift in the Western outlook towards political Islam groups, most notably the Muslim Brotherhood. Abbas explained that this change is the result of an increasing Western awareness of the extent of the damage to the interests of Western countries as a result of the activities of these organizations, after decades of using them politically and security-wise, describing the current stage as an “awakening” towards the threat of the organization.
Abbas linked the timing of this shift to the repercussions of the group’s movements in pivotal countries such as Egypt, Jordan, and Lebanon, noting that Washington and Western capitals now consider these groups a direct source of security and political threat, after they have exhausted their previous purposes. The Egyptian official praised the recent measures taken by his country, especially the decision published in the Official Gazette on November 9, 2026, which decided to permanently include the Brotherhood on the lists of prohibited entities in accordance with anti-terrorism legislation, pointing out that the decision extends to include names and entities operating outside the Egyptian borders.
For his part, Dr. Mohamed Mahmoud Mahran, professor of public international law and member of the American, European, and Egyptian Societies of International Law, explained that Trump’s description of the group and his warnings about the extension of its threat to cities such as San Diego, Los Angeles, and European capitals, fall within the framework of political and security assessments and do not in themselves constitute a legal decision for classification.
In statements to Al-Arabiya.net and Al-Hadath.net, Mahran pointed out the existence of a parallel American executive path, explaining that Executive Order No. 14362 last January led to the classification of the Egyptian and Jordanian branches within the category of “specially designated global terrorists,” and the Lebanese branch as a “foreign terrorist organization.” He added that statements attributed to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio paves the way for the possibility of issuing additional classification decisions to expand legal measures against the group’s branches.
At the international level, Mahran pointed out that there is no unified global definition of terrorism or a comprehensive UN list that lists the Brotherhood, noting that Security Council Resolution No. 1373 of 2001 obliges countries to criminalize financing and freeze assets related to terrorist activities while leaving the listing mechanisms to national legislation, in addition to Resolutions 1624 and 2462 concerned with combating incitement and financing. Accordingly, he stressed that the most accurate legal adjustment is that the group is classified locally in Egypt, while its branches are subject to American classifications and national procedures in other countries.
Regarding the Egyptian steps, Mahran stressed that Cairo has a solid legal basis based on a final judicial ruling issued by the Egyptian Court of Cassation, noting that the final listing on November 9 was followed the next day by the listing of 35 entities and 36 individuals in Europe, which enhances the opportunities for submitting requests for international legal assistance and tracking the organization’s financial assets.
On the European side, Mahran pointed to the European Parliament’s vote last October 8 with a majority of 381 votes in favor of evaluating the inclusion of entities linked to the Community, pending the final decision of the European Council in accordance with the Union’s legislative controls. He stressed that any European measures are subject to local laws and international agreements, including the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, considering adherence to these controls to be a fundamental guarantee for the success of extradition files and drying up funding sources.
Mahran concluded by stressing that the next stage will be characterized by a strict legal and financial nature in confronting the Muslim Brotherhood, based on judicial rulings, listing decisions, and asset tracking, going beyond the limits of purely political statements, in light of continuing discussions in Washington and European capitals to expand the scope of measures against the organization and its branches.
