Jordan’s government has formally outlawed the Muslim Brotherhood, seizing its assets and banning all activities by the group.
Amman designated the Muslim Brotherhood (al-Ikhwan al-Muslimun) an illegal entity, shutting down all its offices and freezing its assets across the country, according to the kingdom’s interior minister.
Interior Minister Mazin al-Farrayeh made the announcement during a press conference in Amman on Wednesday, stating that all activities by the group are now criminalised.
“All activities of the so-called Muslim Brotherhood are banned, and it is considered an illegal entity,” he declared. “Promotion of the Brotherhood ideology is now illegal and warrants legal accountability.”
Farrayeh added that any form of engagement with or support for the group — whether through meetings, statements, or publications — would be treated as a violation of national law and subject to prosecution.
He argued that the Brotherhood’s rhetoric and operations “expose society to risks and threaten citizens’ lives.” The minister said the group’s offices across Jordan were being closed down with immediate effect.
The ban comes just days after Jordanian authorities claimed to have thwarted plots targeting national security and arrested 16 suspects linked to them.
Subscribe to our newsletter and stay updated on the latest news and updates from around the Muslim world!
“On the same night (of foiling the plots), the Brotherhood attempted to smuggle and destroy large quantities of documents from its headquarters to conceal its suspicious activities and connections,” Farrayeh said.
He alleged that the operation aimed to obstruct investigations and hide links between the group and violent or subversive activities.
Authorities reportedly uncovered an attempt to manufacture and test explosives by the son of a senior Brotherhood figure. The explosives were allegedly intended for use against security forces and strategic sites inside Jordan. Farrayeh did not disclose additional details regarding the planned attacks or the individuals involved.
There was no immediate comment from the group, which has operated legally in Jordan for decades and has widespread grassroots support in major urban centres and dozens of offices across the country.
The Islamic Action Front (IAF), a political party linked to the regionwide group, won the most seats in parliamentary elections last year against the backdrop of mass protests against Israel over its war on Gaza.
This is not the first time Jordan has moved against the Muslim Brotherhood. In July 2020, Jordan’s Court of Cassation — the kingdom’s highest legal authority — ruled in favour of the group’s dissolution, citing its failure to rectify its legal status.
During the Arab Spring revolutions, the group experienced internal fragmentation. A number of members defected to establish the Muslim Brotherhood Association, a new body that was granted official registration by the Jordanian government in March 2015.
The original Brotherhood condemned the move, accusing the state of engineering a coup against its legitimacy and attempting to co-opt its legacy by recognising a splinter faction.
Wednesday’s declaration marks the most comprehensive legal crackdown on the Brotherhood in Jordan to date. The group had already faced growing restrictions in recent years, with many of its charitable and political arms either dissolved or forced to cease operations.
Although the Brotherhood had once played a semi-official role in Jordanian politics — holding seats in parliament and operating legal charities — the state’s stance has shifted dramatically, especially amid broader regional hostility toward political Islam.
Farrayeh concluded his statement by warning: “Any activity by the group, regardless of its nature, is considered a violation of the law and will be met with legal consequences.”
Jordanian authorities have not yet disclosed what will happen to the group’s members or affiliates, nor have they clarified whether prosecutions will follow for previous involvement.
