Ashley Moody, Mario Díaz-Balart push measure to declare Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist organization

Ashley Moody questions Terrence Cole on holding Mexico accountable for the fentanyl crisis.

U.S. Sen. Ashley Moody is introducing a bill that would bring a “modernized strategy” for designating the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization.

The measure, which U.S. Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas is also introducing, requests President Donald Trump to formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as “a foreign terrorist organization.” The wording also stipulates that Secretary of State Marco Rubio should prepare a report on the organization that will be presented to Congress.

“The Muslim Brotherhood Terrorist Designation Act is commonsense legislation that will declare the Muslim Brotherhood, a group known to seek widespread hate against Christians, Jews and other religious groups, a foreign terrorist organization,” said Moody, a Plant City  Republican, in a news release.

“This group actively provides support for groups like Hamas, the cowards responsible for the October 7th massacre of innocent Israelis — and they continue to spread their violence across the globe. Today, we can join our allies across Europe and the Middle East in this designation, and I urge its swift passage.”

The Muslim Brotherhood was founded in the Middle East in the early 20th Century. Elements of the organization have since become radicalized. In 2014, the Egyptian government declared the Muslim Brotherhood a terrorist group in that country.

Moody’s measure has the endorsement of groups such as Christians United for Israel Action Fund, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee and the Republican Jewish Coalition, among others.

The Moody-Cruz bill has a companion measure in the House of Representatives. U.S. Rep. Mario Díaz-Balart, a Republican representing Florida’s 26th Congressional District in South Florida, is sponsoring the bill in that chamber.

“I once again introduced legislation to designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a foreign terrorist organization,” Diaz-Balart said in a news release.

“The global Muslim Brotherhood has numerous regional branches, including terrorist organizations such as Hamas, and spreads violence and instability throughout the Middle East. For this reason, it is crucial to U.S. national security interests that we prohibit U.S. dollars from enabling the Muslim Brotherhood’s dangerous activities, and that we ensure Muslim Brotherhood members are blocked from entering the United States.”