Jordan targets organisations over alleged links to Muslim Brotherhood
Jordan launched legal action on Wednesday against organisations accused of links to the Muslim Brotherhood, as part of its increasing crackdown on the group.
The government referred one organisation, the Forum for the Training and Empowerment of Women and Children, a family support organisation, to the public prosecutor for allegedly failing to submit its 2024 financial statements and for not disclosing its owner, according to Jordan’s Petra News Agency.
Another three organisations - the Green Crescent Charity, a children's charity named Al Urwah Al Wuthqa Association and the Sawaed Al Ata Initiative - were referred to Jordan’s public prosecutor for alleged administrative violations and unauthorised fundraising, Petra reported.
Jordan banned the Muslim Brotherhood in April and announced it was closing the group’s offices and confiscating its assets.
The ban came after Jordan accused the Muslim Brotherhood of planning to carry out attacks in the country, an announcement which came a week after security services said they had arrested 16 people in possession of weapons and explosives.
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The Muslim Brotherhood denied any involvement in the alleged plot.
The crackdown came as the group’s popular support appeared to be growing, measured by its success at the ballot box. In September, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic Action Front, won the most votes in Jordan’s parliamentary elections.
The Muslim Brotherhood’s popularity has surged amid Israel’s war on Gaza.
The group was founded in Cairo in 1928 and is one of the world's largest and best-known political Islam groups.
The Muslim Brotherhood has long maintained it is a peaceful organisation that wishes to participate in politics democratically, but is considered a major threat by many autocratic governments in the Middle East and North Africa.
The organisation is banned in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.
Saudi Arabia and the UAE have long led efforts to undermine the Muslim Brotherhood in the region.
Both backed the Egyptian military's 2013 overthrow of the Brotherhood-led government and have continued to support the subsequent crackdown, which has left thousands of its members imprisoned.
Some analysts believe Jordan's campaign is being carried out under coordinated pressure from Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Israel.
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