Report Urges US to Designate Islamist Group as Terrorist Organization Amid Infiltration Concerns

A comprehensive report released Wednesday by the Institute for the Study of Global Antisemitism and Policy (ISGAP) details what researchers describe as a decades-long campaign by the Muslim Brotherhood to infiltrate and transform Western society from within, particularly targeting the United States.

The 200-page analysis draws from internal Brotherhood documents, including the “1982 Project” and “1991 Explanatory Memorandum,” to argue that the Islamist organization has systematically leveraged Western freedoms to advance its ideological goals through a methodical, multi-generational approach.

According to the report, the Muslim Brotherhood—originally founded in Egypt—has gained significant footholds in American institutions over the past five decades, including government agencies, educational institutions, and social media platforms. The research specifically alleges targeted infiltration of the State Department, Department of Homeland Security, and Department of Justice through strategic career appointments and advisory roles.

Dr. Charles Asher Small, founding director of ISGAP and co-author of the report, emphasized the long-term nature of the alleged strategy. “We are now fifty years into the Brotherhood’s 100-year plan to entrench themselves into key institutions in the United States and other western societies to undermine and destroy our democracy,” Small told Fox News Digital.

“This is not simply a political movement but a transnational ideological project that adapts itself to Western systems while working to undermine them,” he added. “The Brotherhood has learned to use the very freedoms of democracy as tools to erode it from within, exploiting the tolerance and openness of liberal societies as strategic vulnerabilities.”

The report explores alleged terror ties within the group along with funding sources, particularly from Qatar. It claims that both al-Qaeda and the Brotherhood “share the strategic aim” of establishing an Islamic state governed by sharia law, differing primarily in tactics. While al-Qaeda employs direct confrontation, the Brotherhood allegedly uses a gradualist approach that maintains “ideological continuity with militant jihad” while avoiding open conflict.

Based on its findings, ISGAP is calling for the United States to formally designate the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, arguing this step is “essential to safeguard our freedom and way of life.”

The report’s release comes just days after Texas Governor Greg Abbott designated both the Muslim Brotherhood and the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) as foreign terrorist and transnational criminal organizations. Abbott’s executive order prevents both groups from obtaining land in Texas.

“The Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR have long made their goals clear: to forcibly impose Sharia law and establish Islam’s ‘mastership of the world,'” Abbott said in his statement. “The actions taken by the Muslim Brotherhood and CAIR to support terrorism across the globe and subvert our laws through violence, intimidation, and harassment are unacceptable.”

CAIR, which is mentioned multiple times in the ISGAP report, responded to Abbott’s designation by stating the group “consistently condemned all forms of unjust violence, including hate crimes, ethnic cleansing, genocide and terrorism.”

The ISGAP analysis also mentions several elected officials who researchers claim may be advancing Muslim Brotherhood objectives within government. The report specifically names Representatives Ilhan Omar (D-MN) and Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), stating that while neither has documented formal affiliation with the Brotherhood, both have “appeared at events organized by Brotherhood-aligned organizations, have received campaign support from Brotherhood-aligned donors, and have consistently advocated positions aligned with Brotherhood objectives.”

Dalia Ziada, ISGAP Washington Coordinator and co-author of the report, offered a personal perspective on the findings: “As someone who has studied and witnessed the Brotherhood’s operations firsthand, I can say with confidence that this is not a theoretical threat.”

ISGAP warns that the “Brotherhood’s networks are not self-sustaining; they are nourished by a state that exports its worldview through funding, education, and media influence.” The organization is now working on a joint declaration from scholars and policymakers calling on Congress to act on the report’s findings, arguing that while a terrorist designation would be significant, additional measures are necessary to counter the alleged long-term strategy.

The report represents one of the most extensive analyses to date of what researchers describe as the Muslim Brotherhood’s strategic entrenchment within Western democratic systems, particularly the United States, and its implications for national security and democratic institutions.