This week a South Florida Republican congressman teamed up with a presidential hopeful as they urged the federal government to recognize the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.
On Tuesday, U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, and U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla., brought out the “Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act.” While noting members of the Muslim Brotherhood are classified as terrorists, the organization as a whole is not.
Cruz noted some of the groups and individuals under the Muslim Brotherhood’s umbrella launched terrorist attacks on Americans.
“This bill recognizes the simple fact that the Muslim Brotherhood is a radical Islamic terrorist group,” Cruz said on Tuesday. “For years, American presidents of both parties have correctly designated the Brotherhood’s various affiliates, such as Hamas and Ansar al-Sharia, as terrorist groups. They have designated individual Muslim Brotherhood leaders such as Shaykh Abd-al-Majd Al-Zindani, who was complicit in the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, and Sami Al-Hajj, who was captured on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border in 2001 running money and weapons for al Qaida, as terrorists. Now we can reject the fantasy that their parent institution is a political entity that is somehow separate from these violent activities.
“A number of our Muslim allies have taken this common-sense step, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia and the UAE,” Cru added. “As this bill details, the Brotherhood’s stated goal is to wage violent jihad against its enemies, and our legislation is a reality check that the United States is on that list as well.”
“I proudly join Sen. Cruz to introduce this bill in both chambers,” Diaz-Balart said. “This legislation codifies into law something that is long overdue. The Muslim Brotherhood has a long history of terrorism around the world. The group supports and stands behind numerous terrorist organizations that are responsible for acts of violence and aggression.
“It is time for Congress and the Department of State to recognize and sanction them as they deserve – as a foreign terrorist organization,” Diaz-Balart said.
The Muslim Brotherhood claims it is a group fighting for democracy but it is classified by several governments, including Russia as well as the nations Cruz listed, as a terrorist group.
Reach Kevin Derby at kderby@sunshinestatenews.com or follow him on Twitter: @KevinDerbySSN
