Blacklisting Muslim Brotherhood evokes debates

CAIRO - The recently announced intention of US President Donald Trump to designate the Muslim Brotherhood group as a terrorist organization has raised debate among key players in Middle East.

About three weeks after the visit of Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi to Washington and his talks with Trump, the White House said last week that the US president is working to label the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

In response, the 90-year-old Islamist group said in a statement on its website that it will stick to its "moderate and peaceful" approach despite Trump's plan.

The US plan is welcomed by Egypt and its allies in the Gulf region, including Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, which largely supported the Egyptian army's ouster of former Brotherhood-oriented president Mohamed Morsi in July 2013.

The Egyptian authorities blacklisted the group a few months after the army removed Morsi in response to mass protests against his one-year controversial rule, launching a massive security crackdown on the group's loyalists.

Since then, Egypt has been facing a wave of terrorist activities that killed hundreds of policemen, soldiers and civilians, while the Egyptian forces killed hundreds of terrorists and arrested thousands of suspects in the country's anti-terror war declared by Sisi.

Meanwhile, Cairo's ties with Washington improved under Trump after a rift during the time of former US president Barack Obama whose government rejected Morsi's popularly-backed military removal.

"The anticipated move is a big change in the US policy toward groups that the former US government dealt with as political entities," said Samir Ragheb, head of the Cairo-based Arab Foundation for Development and Strategic Studies, or AFDSS.

The Egyptian expert referred to a state of "closer understanding" between the United States and Arab allies like Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, which led to a change in the US position in their favor.

Most terror activities in Egypt over the past few years have been claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the Islamic State regional militant group.

The Egyptian leadership considers the Brotherhood the source of all evil and terror while the group denies it.

"If the US decision is implemented, it will be considered a big victory for the Egyptian diplomacy," the AFDSS chief said.

It took Egypt a lot of diplomatic efforts to dissuade the US Democrats who used to see the Brotherhood as part of the solution in fighting terrorism, Ragheb added.

Meanwhile, regional players Iran and Turkey rejected the US plan to classify the Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, arguing that Trump's move would undermine the region's stability and promote extremism.

Ties between Egypt and Iran have been cut for decades, since Egypt signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.

Egypt is also at odds with Turkey and Qatar for hosting and sheltering fleeing Muslim Brotherhood members, accusing the two countries of supporting terrorism and interfering in the Egyptian domestic affairs.

The charges have been dismissed by both countries.

Xinhua