The Muslim Brotherhood (MB) is already outlawed in many countries, including the UAE, Bahrain, Kuwait, Egypt, Syria, Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, and Tajikistan. Although the Muslim Brotherhood has “dominated politics and unions in Jordan for decades,” it has been declining steadily and losing its grip on power due to internal problems and rifts. Over time it lost its ability to mobilize, and its relations with the Jordanian state deteriorated. Sheikh Hamza Mansur, head of the MB’s ruling council, said the group intends to appeal this ruling, claiming that the MB is moderate and promotes unity. Nothing could be further from the truth. It pretends to be moderate, but is power hungry, violent and disruptive at its roots.
The implications of Jordan dissolving its branch of the MB are many. The first involves the alliance between the now-dissolved Jordanian MB branch and Hamas, which styles itself the Muslim Brotherhood for Palestine. Will the dissolution of the Jordanian branch adversely affect Hamas?
The second implication involves economics and new alliances. “The Hashemite Kingdom is in urgent need of financial aid to deal with its economic crisis which was worsened by the fallout of the COVID-19 pandemic on tourism in the country.” And like other countries surrounding Jordan, partnerships are forming fast in this era. Jordan is no exception. “For some time now, the kingdom wavered about joining the Qatar-Turkey axis, but with this decision, it has sent a clear message that it has made up its mind and will not join the said axis.” Instead, “the Hashemite Kingdom has always been closer to Saudi Arabia and the UAE in its foreign policy choices, keeping a steady course politically and economically within the axis of Arab moderation.”
Saudi Arabia has also been deepening its alliance with Israel for reasons of expedience. However, given Israel’s plans to assert its sovereignty over a portion of Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), there’s trouble on the horizon. The MB is firmly set against this, as is Saudi Arabia and Jordan. In fact, Jordan, given its large Palestinian population, is one of the most vocal critics of Israel’s “annexation” plan.
“Jordan Top Court Dissolves Country’s Muslim Brotherhood,” AFP, July 16, 2020:
Amman (AFP) — Jordan’s top court has dissolved the country’s branch of the Muslim Brotherhood, a transnational Islamist movement, an official said Thursday, citing the group’s failure to “rectify its legal status”.
“The Court of Cassation yesterday (Wednesday) issued a final verdict ruling that the Muslim Brotherhood group is dissolved… for failing to rectify its legal status under Jordanian law,” the official said, requesting anonymity.
The Muslim Brotherhood, founded in Egypt in 1928, is a pan-Islamic movement with both charitable and political arms.
It has faced years of pressure, especially in the wake of the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings, and has been outlawed as a “terrorist” group in Egypt and banned in several other countries.
Amman had tolerated the group’s political arm for decades, but since 2014 authorities have considered it illegal, arguing its licence was not renewed under a 2014 law on political parties.
It continued to operate, but its relations with the Jordanian state deteriorated further from 2015 when the government authorised an offshoot group, the Muslim Brotherhood Association.
In April 2016, security services closed the Brotherhood’s Amman headquarters and several regional offices, transferring their ownership to the splinter group in a step the movement denounced as political.
The original Brotherhood took the case to court in a bid to retrieve the properties, but the court in its verdict Wednesday ordered it dissolved.
The Brotherhood argues that it had already obtained licences to operate under previous laws in the 1940s and 1950s.
Sheikh Hamza Mansur, head of the organisation’s ruling council, said the group would appeal against Wednesday’s ruling.
“The Muslim Brotherhood … is a model of moderation and an important element in strengthening national unity, so dissolving it is not in the national interest,” told AFP.
The Jordanian breakaway group aimed to sever ties with the Brotherhood in Egypt, where hundreds of supporters have been killed and thousands detained since the army ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi in 2013.
Jordan’s Islamic Action Front, a political party aligned with the original Brotherhood chapter there, has had 16 members of parliament since 2016 elections….