Donald Trump’s decision to initiate the process of banning the Muslim Brotherhood marks one of the most significant national-security shifts of his new term. After directing US officials to examine whether key chapters of the Brotherhood should be labeled foreign terrorist organizations – a designation that would trigger sanctions and major legal consequences – the White House has ignited fierce political debate. Critics claim the move is driven by Islamophobia or by crude electoral calculations. Yet such claims miss the point. Far from being a reckless or bigoted crusade, the proposed designation represents a long-overdue confrontation with an ideological network that has skillfully exploited Western openness for nearly a century.

To its defenders, the Muslim Brotherhood is merely a conservative religious group concerned with charity, moral revival, and political participation. But historically, the Brotherhood is something far more ambitious: a transnational ideological project that seeks power through incremental cultural and institutional infiltration. Its founder, Hassan al-Banna, articulated a vision of Islamic governance that would ultimately culminate in a restored global caliphate – not through sudden violent rebellion, but through patient, layered societal transformation. Unlike extremist offshoots such as al-Qaeda or ISIS, the Brotherhood’s strategy is built on gradualism, adaptability, and long-term influence.

This distinction has often allowed Western governments to treat the Brotherhood as a “reformist” or “non-violent” alternative to jihadist extremism. But non-violent intent is not the same as democratic intent. The Brotherhood’s own documents, its historical record in Egypt and Jordan, and its covert organizing in Europe and North America all reveal a consistent trajectory: engage institutions, amass influence, and undermine democratic norms from within.

The movement’s tactics vary by terrain. In fragile states or nations ruled by sympathetic governments, the Brotherhood behaves openly, presenting itself as a disciplined vanguard with political ambitions. In robust democracies with strong institutions, the Brotherhood adopts a subtler posture. It embeds itself in student networks, runs........

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