Jordan Bans the Muslim Brotherhood

The Jordanian government declared a complete ban on the Muslim Brotherhood this week after authorities accused the regionwide Islamic group of planning terror attacks, a move that observers said could also affect Jordan’s main opposition party, the Middle East Eye reported.  

On Wednesday, Interior Minister Mazin Al-Farrayeh said the group’s activities posed a threat to national unity and public order, adding that all offices and assets linked to the Muslim Brotherhood will be confiscated.  

He also said that individuals or entities that have interacted with the group or promoted its ideology would face sanctions.  

The minister claimed the group had been operating secretly, despite being ordered to dissolve in a 2020 court ruling, and accused it of training operatives domestically and abroad, manufacturing weapons, and hiding explosives in residential areas. 

The ban follows the arrest by authorities last week of 16 people linked to the organization for allegedly plotting terror attacks involving rockets and drones inside Jordan.  

The Brotherhood denied any links to the alleged plot and insisted that it was committed to Jordan’s security. 

In 2016, Jordan banned the Brotherhood but allowed a splinter group to operate in the country and tolerated the political party linked to the regional organization, the Islamic Action Front (IAF), the Associated Press noted. 

But the recent ban could result in the shuttering of the IAF, now Jordan’s largest opposition party. The party won the most seats in the country’s September parliamentary elections, capitalizing on widespread anger over the Gaza war.  

IAF officials said the party has followed Jordanian law. 

Meanwhile, analysts told the AP that the ban marks a “pivotal moment” for Jordan, noting that “the relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood has fundamentally changed and will not return to its previous state.” 

Originally founded in Egypt in 1928, the Muslim Brotherhood has been banned in a number of Middle Eastern countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. 

While the organization says it promotes peace and wants to participate in politics democratically, critics – including many autocratic governments in the region – see it as a major threat because of its popularity.