Congressmen demand Rex Tillerson to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist group

Lawmakers behind a House bill aimed at designating the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization have prepared a draft letter calling on Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to designate the group as a Foreign Terrorist Organization. The draft letter was signed by some two dozen congressmen.

The letter calls on Tillerson to consider the Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act of 2017 that is sponsored by 63 members of Congress.

The letter gives examples of how the Muslim Brotherhood had been outlawed in Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia and says by following suit, the U.S. would be in a position to stifle those organizations by adding financial and travel restrictions and making it difficult for the group to function, while also further isolating them.

The draft argues that there are precedents in designating nation-specific terrorist organizations and lists Ansar al-Shari’a, which has two groups in Libya and one in Tunisia, designated as separate FTOs.

The lawmakers concluded by calling for immediate action on the Brotherhood by the State Department, arguing that the individual designations would be an important first stage in the international fight against terrorism.