Human Rights Watch (HRW) has issued a report in which it called on the US government to not designate the Muslim Brotherhood (MB) group as a foreign terrorist organization. United States President Donald Trump has voiced several times his explicit rejection of political Islam and the MB, often linking them to terrorist groups. The report said that the designation will erode the ability of the Islamic group’s members to participate in political life. The report further added that the designation of the MB as a terrorist group will equate it with the Islamic State (IS) and Al-Qaeda, which HRW believes would be inaccurate. For example, HRW states that if the MB is considered a terrorist organization, then any non-US citizen living in the country who is found to have supported the group could face deportation. The consequences of the designation would also apply to charities and civil rights groups. According to HRW, several bills have been introduced in Congress to make the designation. HRW states that these bills are based on “unfounded arguments” that the MB is seeking to infiltrate US political institutions. The report warned that the designation step will pressure US allies to take…
Human Rights Watch Urges Trump to Not Label Muslim Brotherhood a Terrorist Organization
February 9, 2017
