Legacy of Jordan’s Brotherhood: The struggle between hawks and doves for the group’s assets

Doaa Emam

Differences have emerged between the leaders of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan after the decision of the Court of Cassation on Wednesday, June 12 considering the group, which was first licensed in 1946, to be dissolved under the provisions of the law. As a result, the current Brotherhood group established in 2015 is not a legal successor to the old one and therefore has no right to seize the transferred funds that were controlled by the dissolved group.

The brotherly struggle between the dissolved group and the licensed association was manifested in the race to seize possession of the assets. In order to strengthen their influence by controlling the organization’s legacy, whoever owns the group’s funds has control of its direction and activity. The judicial decision came after an appeal filed by a number of leaders of the group affiliated with the hawkish movement in which they called on the judiciary to grant them the right to own the transferred funds, which were controlled by the dissolved group.

The judicial decision confirms the prohibition of the Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan, although it will remain represented by the licensed Brotherhood association in the country, thus increasing the dispute that began since the dissolution of the group’s Shura Council in 2008, in addition to the existence of a movement of “doves” calling for political openness and giving priority to public action on the local scene to balance the traditional group’s focus on the Palestinian cause, while the hawks reject the idea of ​​openness, preferring to focus on recruitment and education.

The Legal Committee of the Muslim Brotherhood Association issued a statement on the decision of the Court of Cassation, stating that it accepted the judicial decision which settled the controversy in the financial and organizational matters of the group. It explained that the group, which was licensed in 1946 and whose changes were authorized, was legally dissolved, so it has become non-existent and lost its legal status in June 1953.

It added in a statement issued on Saturday, June 15 that the ruling confirmed the decision of the Cabinet issued in February 1952, which does not change the nature of the Brotherhood’s existence. Its existence was based on the law of associations. It did not require correction, which was rejected by the leadership of the group refused to follow and to proceed with the process of rectifying the legal status of the group.

The association increased the conflict by reiterating its acceptance of the judicial decision, which preserves legal legitimacy, stating that it is concerned that the funds and assets of the group should not be transferred to any other party in such a way as to lose the opportunity to be used from the perspective of the objectives of the group.