Senior US leaders support Brotherhood ban: Soufan Group

Ahmed Sultan

The Soufan Group, which provides intelligence and international security services, said that many senior US leaders support banning the Muslim Brotherhood in the United States and considering it a terrorist group.

The ban on Brotherhood activity would lead to some tangible results, Soufan Group said, noting that the Brotherhood has many branches that espouse armed action, such as Hamas in Palestine.

During his recent visit to Washington, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi asked US President Donald Trump to consider the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization. Trump consulted with his national security team and other leaders in the Middle East about the decision.

According to Soufan, Egypt, the UAE and Saudi Arabia are leading a campaign to ban the activities of the Muslim Brotherhood and classify it as a terrorist organization, although the US position is still unclear.

Soufan Group has argued that there are compelling arguments to ban Brotherhood activities in the United States, which will also affect Brotherhood-associated opposition movements in the Middle East, particularly in countries such as Morocco, Mauritania, Jordan and others.

The White House announced late last month that the Trump administration is considering classifying the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist group.